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East San Diego County woman scammed out of hundreds of dollars by fake sweepstakes con man

Posted at 4:42 PM, Jul 17, 2017
and last updated 2017-07-17 20:37:29-04

EL CAJON, Calif. (KGTV) - An El Cajon woman gave nearly $300 to a man claiming to be from a well-known sweepstakes after he called her home and told her she needed to send him money to claim her large cash prize. 

Tonie Rae Foster-Roach tells 10News the man called her home last Wednesday, saying he was from Publisher's Clearing House and that she'd won $850,000, but in order to get her prize she had to wire him $285. 

She did but says the calls kept coming, with requests for more money.

The Better Business Bureau has tips for scams like this.

  • Don't pay up to claim your prize.
  • You can't win sweepstakes you haven't entered.
  • Verify - but not by using a source the scammer gave you.
  • Put your number on a 'do not call' list.

The BBB has resources to spot and report scams in your area.

The San Diego County District Attorney's office also has informationto keep seniors safe.