WATCH OUT FOR SWEEPSTAKES SCAM

Winning a large sweepstakes prize is a dream come true for many people. However, that dream can quickly turn into a nightmare if the win notification was actually a sweepstakes scam. One Yucca Valley resident fell victim to fraud this week. The woman was contacted by phone by someone who said she was the winner of a half million dollar sweepstakes prize. All she had to do was send money for processing fees and insurance on the prize. The woman borrowed money from a friend to the tune of $19,530 before she realized she had been scammed. If you are called out of the blue that you won a prize, chances are it’s a scam. You can’t win if you didn’t enter the contest. In addition, legitimate sweepstakes will never ask you to pay fees to participate or to receive a prize. You should never have to pay handling charges, service fees, or any other kind of charges up front to receive a win—those are sure signs of sweepstakes scams. Report any scams to the Sheriff’s Department.