It’s not luck… Central Pennsylvanians work hard to earn a living. But, imagine losing your entire life savings after you thought you did get lucky and won a big prize. That’s what happened to an 80-year-old woman in Lower Paxton Township, Dauphin County. And those who live nearby are shocked.
"This is a first," said Timothy Shrawder.
Shrawder has lived in the victim's neighborhood for 37 years. He's never heard of anyone in the area falling victim to a scam. But, with the tactics some people pull these days, he can see how it could happen.
"I guess maybe people think well maybe it's that needle in a haystack where it's their time and you know there's just that one moment in time they're gullible and things happen," said Shrawder.
Lower Paxton Township Police say a woman received a call from people claiming to be from Publishers' Clearing House. Police say they asked her to wire money to various locations in order to collect a prize.
She emptied her entire life savings and life insurance. Police say it was about $15,000 and the money is now irretrievable.
Tips on the Publishers' Clearing House website name scam warning signs. The second one on the list is erirly similar to the scam that happened in Lower Paxton Township, "be suspicious of callers claiming you've won, but ask you to send money."
To view the entire list: http://info.pch.com/consumer-information/tips-a-warning-signs
