TROY, Mich. (WWJ) -- A Troy couple has been scammed out of nearly $150,000 after being told they had won Publishers Clearing House.
Troy police say the victims were contacted by a subject identifying himself as "Otis Peterbank" on March 23, informing them they had won $5,000 a month for life.
He also told them they could take the lump sum payment of $2,665,000, but they would need to pay $129,810 in state and local taxes before the money could be released to them.
The scammer also advised the victims not to use their computer or tell anyone of the winnings because it could lead to cyber attacks or loss of their money.
Between March 24 and April 16, the victims sent lottery claim forms and various amounts of money to addresses in Texas, Oklahoma and New York.
Police say when the victims were sending their final shipment of money, it was being held by the United States Postal Service as being suspicious. That's when the victims realized they were being scammed.
Authorities say their total losses were $143,955.62.
It was unclear whether the scammers had been identified.
