(WDAF) — A Missouri woman said an email popped up in her inbox in August claiming she had been selected out of 400,000 people to win a $3.5 million sweepstakes prize, along with a new car, through Publishers Clearing House (PCH). The direct marketing company promotes merchandise and magazine subscriptions with sweepstakes and prize-based games.
Curious as to whether or not the prize was legitimate, Rita May, 67, of Richmond, said she called the number listed in the email.
“He just described that I would get that money, plus a SUV Mercedes Benz, I guess in 2022,” she said. “He even wanted me to pick out the color of the Mercedes Benz.”
May said she was excited at first.
“There was a glimmer of hope, like, ‘Oh my, this must be real,’” she said.
But then came the realization that someone was attempting to scam her.
“He was like, ‘Okay, you need to go to like, CVS or some other place that does cash cards and get a $1,000 cash card to have ready for us because when we present this prize to you, you will need to present the $1,000 cash card to us to get the prize,’” May said.
May said she was skeptical and expressed her concerns to the man on the phone.
That’s when May says he became aggressive.
“He just kept calling me back, very pushy,” she said.
Christopher Irving, vice president of consumer, government, legal affairs, and…
