‘You’re probably not going to win $18 million’

Those who believe they’ve hit the jackpot may want to think twice.

Scams appear to be on the increase in Holyoke, according to local banks. Margarita Fierro of Bank of Colorado cited a recent iteration coming from sources who pretended to represent Publishers Clearing House.

“That one is a big one we’ve seen lately,” Fierro said, adding that “a lot of people believe they’re true” because of the Clearing House’s reputation for awarding prizes.

A direct marketing company, the Clearing House is known for giving out oversized checks of $1 million or more to its sweepstakes winners, delivered to their houses by a Prize Patrol complete with balloons and champagne. The Clearing House notifies winners via telephone, mail, email or social media.

Scammers impersonating Clearing House members often appear legitimate, Fierro said, before they ask targets to send money back to them in order to cover tax expenses. Both Fierro and the actual Publishers Clearing House note the company would never require a winner to send them cash for prize money.

“They’re also asking for them to open separate accounts,” Fierro said. “They’re even asking them to download Cash App, Venmo, PayPal, opening banks online.” The Clearing House website states that scammers may ask their targets to send a prepaid gift card or Green Dot MoneyPak card to claim the alleged prizes.

In the case of two Bank of Colorado customers, scammers told them to cash a fake check — claiming it to be a partial award — and send a portion back to its source in order to claim their prizes. They were instructed not to tell bank employees who sent them the check.

Within the last six months, Fierro said, she’s personally dealt with six customers regarding the scam. While the number doesn’t seem high, Fierro continued, she does find it noteworthy that people are now contacting the bank about these incidents.

“Sadly, we do have people who lose out,” Fierro said. “Ninety-five percent of the time, we catch it in time where they don’t lose anything — or, at least, where they have given [their personal] information out … but it hasn’t been an actual loss with money.”

As a note for those who could be the target of such a scam, Fierro said, “If you didn’t sign up for something, you’re probably not going to win $18 million.”

Both Tom Bennett, president of First Pioneer National Bank, and Phillips County Undersheriff Michael Beard noted scams that had turned threatening toward their targets. While Bennett noticed an increase in potential scams, however, Beard didn’t appear to have received more calls than usual.

In a Nov. 9 email, Bennett stated he’d heard of “callers threatening certain actions that [required] our customers to provide information.” With this material, he continued, scammers could steal identities, further information or actual funds from customers’ accounts.

“We should all be careful to never provide any personal information over phone,” he stated.

Beard took a call recently concerning a woman who’d been contacted by scammers purporting to represent the U.S. Social Security Administration. They told her she had a warrant out for her arrest, and if she paid them money, they “would take care of the warrant.”

First, he said, “Social Security will not call you.” Second, “No law enforcement agency will tell you that you have a warrant; they’ll just come arrest you.” Finally, “Nobody takes money to quash a warrant.” People arrested under warrants, he said, are booked, bonded and receive a court date.

While some people have fallen for this scam, he noted, it’s been around long enough that its targets usually catch on to its red flags. The Social Security website offers a place to report these scams at www.ssa.gov.

At this point, Beard said, he takes no one calling him over the phone “at face value.” Those who want to find out whether a caller is legitimate, he continued, should end the conversation with the person and call their office or official organization to verify the message.

“Even with all the police associations who call me on the phone,” he said, “I say, ‘When I’m ready to donate to the Police Association, I’ll find you.’”

Both Bennett and Fierro advised those who feel they’ve been scammed or might be scammed to contact their bank or law enforcement.

“If you do fall victim, don’t be ashamed of it,” Fierro said. “They know what they’re doing; they know how to get people to fall for what they’re saying.”

The Phillips County Sheriff’s Office may be contacted at 970-854-3144. Bank of Colorado’s number is 970-854-2291, and First Pioneer is available at 970-854-2227. In addition, Bank of the West may be reached at (970) 854-2297, Holyoke Community Federal Credit Union at (970) 854-3109, Raymond James Financial Service at (970) 854-2291 and Premier Farm Credit at (970) 854-3585.