Mary Thydean said her heart was pounding when the voice on the telephone told her she had won $5.7 million, five years’ of free gas, a $25,000 cash card and a new car.
The caller, who identified himself as “Sheldon Saddler,” told the rural International Falls woman that all she had to do to get her prizes from Publisher’s Clearing House was to go to the post office and send $499. And, the caller told her not to tell anyone about winning the prize.
“I was scammed before and I bit,” she said. “I lost $300 and I don’t want others to get bit, too.”
A suspicious Thydean contacted Publishers Clearing House officials, who told her that they would not tell someone about winning a prize over the phone — someone might have a heart attack, but would instead show up at her home. They put her in contact with the organization’s fraud division.
She then contacted Koochiching County Sheriff’s Deputy Gary Jensen, who advised her that the call was likely a scam. And then, she said, she called The Journal to spread the word.
Thydean said the caller said she should call him back when she had sent a check and then he would call her back.
Thydean told The Journal she would not send a check nor call him back. Rather, she said she would avoid her telephone if he called again, or tell him she had fallen down stairs and was awaiting an ambulance.
“I think God would forgive me for a little white lie in this case,” she said.
Thydean said she believes that scammers target elderly people — “they think we’re stupid” — and encouraged people to be aware that someone offering to send prizes could be running a scam.
Sheriff Brian Jespersen agreed. “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is,” he said. “We get calls weekly about these kinds of things.”
Jespersen said some scams seem to target the elderly. He pointed to a recent scam that involved a call to a grandparent or aunt or uncle saying a young loved one was arrested and needs bail money. Should someone receive such a call, he encouraged a call to a close relative or to a specific jail to verify the information before providing any assistance.
But he said anyone of any age could be the target of a scam. He said if no sweepstakes or contest has been entered, there should be no expectation of winning.
“If you have questions, don’t send money, or don’t cash a check from someone who wants you to send part of it back,” he said. “Don’t give Social Security numbers out or any bank account numbers.”
He urged anyone with suspicions about being scammed to call local law enforcement before taking any action. “It’s usually a scam and they should shred or destroy what’s been sent to them,” he said.
Many scams originate in other countries, including Canada, Switzerland and “all over the world,” said Jespersen.
“People need to use common sense and caution,” he said. “These people are out for money and don’t care who they take the money from. They’re pretty smooth and well rehearsed.”
