BARNSTABLE – Police in Barnstable are asking residents to be vigilant after a West Barnstable resident was recently scammed out of $6,650.
The 77-year-old man was convinced by scammers to send them cash in the mail after he received a letter from a fraudulent organization claiming to be the Publisher’s Clearing House. Scammers claimed that cash would cover the “disbursement and insurance fees” of a $2.5 million prize, and sent the man a check to “cover” that money. That check turned out to be a fake.
“[Legitimate organizations] will never ask you for money. They are never going to ask you to send cash. They are never going to ask you to pay taxes up front, especially a big company like the Publishers Clearing House,” said Barnstable Police Sgt. Sean Sweeney. “If it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is.”
The resident became aware of the scheme when scammers contacted him for an additional $20,000 to “cover taxes.” He contacted police, who are investigating the incident.
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