Resident falsely told he's winner of sweepstakes

A Bloomfield Township resident discovered they had been the victim of identity theft and reported it at the police station on Saturday, September 19.

The victim had received a phone call the night prior from an unknown subject who told him he had been a winner of the Publisher’s Clearing House Sweepstakes. In order to receive his $500,000 prize, though, the caller told him he would need to provide his credit card information, which he did, and purchase a Visa gift card for $500. While purchasing the gift card, a store employee informed him that the call had been a scam and to not provide the caller with the Visa gift card information. When the victim called the suspect back, the suspect asked for the gift card information, which he did not provide before hanging up. Bloomfield Township police are currently investigating.