Plaquemine woman warns others against possible sweepstakes scam - WLOX.com - The News for South Mississippi

Plaquemine woman warns others against possible sweepstakes scam

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By Kelsey Davis - email

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PLAQUEMINE, LA (WAFB) -

We hear about scams all the time, but one Plaquemine woman says a phone call she got yesterday made her a little nervous.

Pasty Henson thought her life was about to change for the best when a man called to tell her she won the Publishers Clearing House sweepstakes.

"The man kept asking me how it feels to be a winner of 2.8 million," said Henson. "I'm like, 'it feels good! I got family that needs a lot of help. I could help a lot of people.'"

But Henson's excitement was gone in seconds. The man said she had to pay $499 in taxes to a Publishers Clearing House representative first. When she started wonder aloud if the sweepstakes was legitimate, the man attempted to scare her by describing her home in detail.

"The man that called yesterday told me that I had red bows on my white posts out front," said Henson. "And he said I had a nice mailbox by the road with a bow on it too."

Henson spoke to Publishers Clearing House reps who told her this is definitely a scam. 9News called the number back on Thursday. This time, the man a had a different story and was with a different company: Mega Millions lotto.

"You have won yourself $3.5 million through my company....alright," the man said told Henson during Thursday's call.

State lottery reps say, Henson is not one of their sweepstakes winners either. Henson says she's glad didn't take the bait either time, and she wants to make sure no one else does.

"Because it's Christmastime. People can't afford to be without their money. I don't want to see anybody burned at Christmas," said Henson.

For more information on how to avoid these sweepstakes scams, click here Illegal Lottery Scams on The Rise -- How to Protect Yourself or go to Am I Really a Winner? How to Detect Sweepstakes Fraud.

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