Oceanside CA— The Oceanside Police Department is asking people to be alert to yet another scam targeting the elderly.
You answer the phone and you hear great news. You never would have believed this could happen to you. It’s the Publisher’s Clearing House (PCH). They have called you and told you that you have won $100,000.00. The caller introduces himself as Lieutenant Aaron Doyle of the Oceanside Police Department. All you need to do to claim your prize is to send them a $1,000.00 processing fee in order to allow the check to be cleared in Mexico. What do you do? You look on the web site for the Oceanside Police Department and you see a picture of Lieutenant Aaron Doyle. However, it is a SCAM!
There are a number of flaws with this scenario. The Oceanside Police Department is not a notification service for PCH or any other sweepstakes center. Nor are members of the department allowed to engage in these activities off-duty and to claim they represent the department in this manner.
The PCH web site acknowledges they have been victimized by a number of scams. The PCH Learning Center has the following tips for the public:

1. We never notify winners ahead of time with a phone call;
2. We do not send friend requests or private messages to our winners on Facebook;
3. You never have to pay anything to claim your PCH prize. There are no fees, taxes, surcharges, activation fees or processing charges to claim your prize; and,
4. PCH does not send out emails telling people they have won.

REMEMBER: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. You worked hard for your money. Use it wisely and protect yourself!