WARSAW — Many people have dreams of winning a Publisher’s Clearinghouse sweepstakes and, for one Warsaw couple, it almost looked like that dream was coming true. All they had to do was wire $299 via Western Union to cover the processing fee.

Fortunately for the couple, they were able to identify this as a phone scam.

According to Deeana Marshall of Warsaw, the caller, identifying himself as John Golden, called her husband claiming to be from Publisher’s Clearinghouse. He said the couple had won $999,000 and a 2015 BMW. Once the money was wired, representatives from Publisher’s Clearinghouse and the IRS would meet them and hand over the prize.

More red flags went up when the caller became angry with Marshall’s husband for asking questions and putting the call on speaker phone.

Realizing what was happening, Marshall asked for a number to call back. She was given a number that was not toll-free but that had an area code.

“I called it and the guy who answered was also foreign and said, ‘claims department,'” she said. “Not Publishers Clearinghouse.”

Marshall called the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department and learned that others had been reporting the same thing. In fact, she learned, the scam had already been going on for more than a month.

Public Information Officer Chad Hill with the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department confirmed that the calls have been circulating in the local area for quite some time and that it seems to be statewide. He warned that Publisher’s Clearinghouse does not use phone calls to contact its winners.

“Normally Publisher’s Clearinghouse does a mailing format and if you do win, they show up at the door,” he said. “Same thing with the IRS. They don’t make phone calls. That is usually set up through the United States Postal Service. If you receive phone calls, it’s highly unlikely that there’s any validity.”

Those who believe they may have had received scam call can contact the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department at (574) 267-5667.