Retired Illinois Nun Taken For $400K In Sweepstakes Scam
I'm guessing that nearly everyone, young and old alike, have heard of Publishers Clearing House and and the Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes.
Before you say "Wait a minute. Isn't that a scam?" I should point out that no, Publishers Clearing House is a well known and legitimate company (even though they've had some legal issues) that has actually given away over half a billion dollars since they started.
The problem with Publishers Clearing House and what they do is that scammers have been targeting and deceiving people by pretending to be from Publishers Clearing House, with their targets usually being senior citizens and those who may be less tech-savvy and aware of cybercrimes.
That's exactly what's happened to a retired Illinois nun.
Scamming Anyone Out Of $400,000 Is Bad Enough--But It Seems A Lot Worse When Your Victim Is An 80 Year Old Retired Nun
Maybe the scammers were not the religious type, but do you really want to take the chance that the victim's former boss might be annoyed with you over something like this? I mean, go ahead and believe what you want, but is that a chance worth taking?
Apparently it was for them.
Rene Pientka, 80, knew all about the old-school sweepstakes giant. So when the retired nun received a notice in the mail that she’d won $10 million and a new car, she wanted to believe it. But she was hesitant after reading that PCH would never notify you about prizes by mail.
It wasn’t until months later when Pientka received a phone call seemingly confirming her win that she started to believe it.
Then, the scammers set the hook by being super-nice and charming before telling Rene that she would need to pay some fees in order to collect her winnings of the cash and a car.
Then it got worse.
The Next Thing You Know, The Victim Began Sending Money To The Scammers
The way these scams usually work is that the first request for money is far from being the last request. Rene began sending money to people she thought worked for Publishers Clearing House, but they didn't. After the first funds were sent, more calls came in for more and more money. She ended up sending them almost $400,000 from her 401K in total
When she stopped sending the scammers money or taking their calls, the scammers sent someone to her house. A locksmith.
The locksmith declined an interview, but told NBC 5 Responds he got a call from someone claiming to be Pientka’s grandson, saying she was locked out of her car. When the locksmith arrived at her house, the scammer begged him to put Pientka on the phone.
That’s when he says he realized the caller wasn’t Pientka’s grandson at all. He says it’s not the first time this has happened — scammers have sent him to elderly victims’ homes, hoping to reconnect after the victims cut off contact. He says he’s reported those fraudulent calls to local police departments at least five times, and that’s what he did in Pientka’s case as well.
Wheeling, Illinois police are now working with the FBI on this case because they believe it's part of a larger, more complex scam with roots in organized crime. As for the victim, Rene Pientka, her family has set up a GoFundMe to help with her daily expenses.