Armstrong County woman taken for $10K in Publishers Clearing House scam

An 85-year-old Armstrong County woman was scammed out of $10,000 by someone claiming to represent Publishers Clearing House, according to state police.

State police said the theft took place between Dec. 1 and Dec. 23.

According to state police, a man identifying himself as “John Green” contacted the East Franklin woman by phone and told her she had won a Publishers Clearing House prize of $750,000, which later increased to $2.1 million.

The woman was told that to receive her winnings, she had to send cash to a woman, “Jean Miller,” at an address in Nashville.

The Armstrong County woman made several payments in cash and using prepaid Visa cards.

Anyone getting similar phone calls is asked to contact state police at 724-543-2011.

On the fraud protection section of its website, Publishers Clearing House states that people never have to pay to claim a prize.

The company says it “does not make or authorize outgoing calls to consumers to sell merchandise or magazines, or to solicit sweepstakes entries.” Major winners are notified by mail or in-person and never called in advance.