Publishers Clearing House Patrick Wade Another "Publishers Clearing House"" scam British Columbia Nationwide

Got a check in the mail for over $4000 saying it was partial payment on a Publishers Clearing House prize for $530k and that I was to use it to pay fees and taxes before they could release my winnings.

I went on Publisher's website and read through their fraud cautions. They said this is a classic scam where the check is no good but your bank makes funds available to you within 1-5 business days. You cash it, send the scammers some money to pay "fees and taxes" and maybe 2 weeks later the bank tells you the check was no good and you are liable for the amount! The bank does not immediately verify the funds on the check so the scammers rely on that delay to hit you for a couple of grand or so.

So, the check looks real, you are instructed to contact your "agent" immediately or the window to claim your prize will close. After determining this probably wasn't for real, my wife calls the guy and says she is recording the call and that she had contacted Publishers and that they told her they don't operate that way. She was met with a moment of silence then the call was terminated!

It looked so real and it was a disappointment but we didn't fall for it!