Messing with phony PCH Prize Patrol members on Facebook

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Hello I'm New here! Joined: 01 Oct 2011 Posts: 4

Hi, this is my first post to the 419eater forums; I hope this is the correct section to post this; if not, please move this post to the correct section; thank you!

Publishers Clearing House (PCH) has an official Facebook page where they promote their various on-line games/contests where people can enter for cash and prizes. They regularly post warnings on their Facebook page stating that PCH will NEVER ask people to pay money to claim a prize, and also that genuine PCH Prize Patrol members such as Danielle Lam and Dave Sayer (who all have their own legitimate Facebook profiles) will NEVER send friend requests to Facebook users. Unfortunately, that doesn't stop scammers from creating fake PCH Prize Patrol member Facebook profiles in order to try to rip people off!

Last week, I got a friend request from a Danielle Lam PCH Prize Patrol impersonator (aka FAKE DANIELLE), who then started PM'ing me; This is the log of the PM conversation I had with them. I've substituted my Facebook name with ME and redacted other information like phone numbers and moneyp** codes (I did verify to make sure that the moneyp** codes were indeed invalid before I gave them out); I also bleeped out a couple of swear words.

Quote:

Conversation started Friday

FAKE DANIELLE
6/6, 10:37am
FAKE DANIELLE

Pleasant good day how are you doing?

ME
6/6, 10:38am
ME

helo?

FAKE DANIELLE
6/6, 10:40am
FAKE DANIELLE

Are you a big fan of the PCH?

ME
6/6, 10:40am
ME

yes I am

FAKE DANIELLE
6/6, 10:41am
FAKE DANIELLE

Is this your first time hearing from the PCH?

ME
6/6, 10:41am
ME

yes

FAKE DANIELLE
6/6, 10:41am
FAKE DANIELLE

Are you feeling lucky today?

ME
6/6, 10:42am
ME

Not sure

FAKE DANIELLE
6/6, 10:42am
FAKE DANIELLE

Do you know why you were added to our facebook page?

ME
6/6, 10:42am
ME

No

FAKE DANIELLE
6/6, 10:43am
FAKE DANIELLE

The reason I have added you as a friend is because you were randomly selected by a generated computer system as a lucky winner of 2 million dollars plus ten thousand dollars monthly for life and a brand new car.

(photos from FAKE DANIELLE of the Prize Patrol van, a suitcase full of cash, a brand new car, and some other pics)

FAKE DANIELLE
6/6, 10:44am
FAKE DANIELLE
FAKE DANIELLE
6/6, 10:44am
FAKE DANIELLE
FAKE DANIELLE
6/6, 10:44am
FAKE DANIELLE
FAKE DANIELLE
6/6, 10:44am
FAKE DANIELLE

I should be saying congratulations okay.

ME
6/6, 10:45am

ME

Are you serious?!

FAKE DANIELLE
6/6, 10:46am
FAKE DANIELLE

Yes ma'am its all yours okay

Anything I say is indeed true this is monitored by the Federal Bureau of investigation also recorded for security purposes and the is a PCH live chat.

Are you there?

ME
6/6, 10:50am

ME

I have to go to work soon so can't stay on for much lonber

FAKE DANIELLE
6/6, 10:50am
FAKE DANIELLE

Provide me with your mobile number?

ME
6/6, 10:51am
ME

don't have mobile number but here is my land line number I'll be home for a few more minutes

(phone number to adult phone sex line with recorded intro)

call me back now before I leave

FAKE DANIELLE
6/6, 10:52am
FAKE DANIELLE

Okay on your way to work you will need to purchase your confirmation card to process your delivery today.

Your card is to have your check tax free when you deposit your check into your account, if you don't have this card the IRS guys can take away all of your money, so to have your prize tax free you need that card.

Please note any money you spend will be reimburse triple times upon delivery today okay.

ME
6/6, 10:55am
ME

okay where do I get cadr?

FAKE DANIELLE
6/6, 10:57am
FAKE DANIELLE

Which one of these stores can you locate at this moment?

ME
6/6, 10:58am
ME

Can go to walmart

FAKE DANIELLE
6/6, 10:58am
FAKE DANIELLE

Apart from Walmart locate another store?

ME
6/6, 10:59am
ME

okay cvs store

FAKE DANIELLE
6/6, 11:00am
FAKE DANIELLE

How long will it take you to get there?

ME
6/6, 11:00am
ME

well I won't be able to get back to facebook for another 5 hours

FAKE DANIELLE
6/6, 11:01am
FAKE DANIELLE

Okay how long will it take you to get to CVS store and purchase the card?
ME
6/6, 11:02am

ME

i have to go i'll just get a card for %500 and let you know when I get back

$$500 cash I have right now

FAKE DANIELLE
6/6, 11:03am
FAKE DANIELLE

ME
6/6, 11:04am
ME

okay got it I have to leave right now or I'll be late for work but I'll message you when I get back home

thanks again for this great prize can't wait to get it!

FAKE DANIELLE
6/6, 11:05am
FAKE DANIELLE

Okay its a green dot money pak paypal scratch card in the color green.
FAKE DANIELLE
6/6, 11:05am
FAKE DANIELLE
FAKE DANIELLE
6/6, 11:06am
FAKE DANIELLE

Please go to CVS pharmacy and purchase this card for $500.00 and get back home for your delivery.
FAKE DANIELLE
6/6, 11:28am
FAKE DANIELLE

Ma'am?
FAKE DANIELLE
6/6, 1:11pm
FAKE DANIELLE

Hello
FAKE DANIELLE
6/6, 3:39pm
FAKE DANIELLE

Are you there?

ME
6/6, 4:58pm
ME

hello?

FAKE DANIELLE
6/6, 5:29pm
FAKE DANIELLE

Did you purchase your card?

ME
6/6, 5:37pm
ME

yes I did

FAKE DANIELLE
6/6, 6:21pm
FAKE DANIELLE

Please go ahead and scratch your card and provide me with your confirmation number so that we can have them process.
FAKE DANIELLE
6/6, 6:26pm
FAKE DANIELLE

Hello

Today
ME
12:33am
ME

hello?

Today
FAKE DANIELLE
8:41am
FAKE DANIELLE

Do you have your catd?
ME
8:42am

ME

helo? Yes I have card

FAKE DANIELLE
8:43am
FAKE DANIELLE

Please go ahead and scratch your card and provide me with the numbers.
ME
8:43am

ME

okay one moment
FAKE DANIELLE
8:44am
FAKE DANIELLE

Okay.
ME
8:45am
ME

okay number is (invalid GreenDot moneyp** code)

FAKE DANIELLE
9:07am
FAKE DANIELLE

That number is invalid

ME
9:08am
ME

oh really? let me double check to make sure it right number

FAKE DANIELLE
9:08am
FAKE DANIELLE

Is that the correct numbers ma.'am

ME
9:08am
ME

hang on

oh wait I entered wrong one of the numbers is wrong

let me try it aagain

FAKE DANIELLE
9:09am
FAKE DANIELLE

Okay do so quickly

ME
9:10am
ME

ok here is correct number: (another invalid GreenDot moneyp** code with digit off by one)

FAKE DANIELLE
9:11am
FAKE DANIELLE

When did you purchase it
ME
9:12am

ME

yesterday on my way home from work

FAKE DANIELLE
9:15am
FAKE DANIELLE

That is not invalid ma.'am

ME
9:15am
ME

again?

FAKE DANIELLE
9:15am
FAKE DANIELLE

Can you call mr dave to verify the code

ME
9:16am
ME
sorry I have been having problems with my allergies and my eyes have been all watery this morning

FAKE DANIELLE
9:16am
FAKE DANIELLE

We need the correct code ma.'am

ME
9:16am
ME

okay wait

I'm so sorry, I typed the wrong umber AGAIN!

i guess i'm so worried about making sure I wi the prize I ca't type right

let me do this one last time

FAKE DANIELLE
9:17am
FAKE DANIELLE

Can you let someone text the code for you

Is it possible you can take a picture of the card

ME
9:18am
ME

okay the second nuber was sort of right but had numbers switched around

I will type very slowly this time

FAKE DANIELLE
9:19am
FAKE DANIELLE

Okay please let me get the correct code

We need the process to get started
ME
9:20am
ME

okay one last time now: (another invalid GreenDot moneyp** code with 2 digits switched around)

FAKE DANIELLE
9:23am
FAKE DANIELLE

Are you sure that is the correct code
ME
9:24am
ME

yes, dont tell me that desn't work either!

do you want me to go and get another card?

FAKE DANIELLE
9:24am
FAKE DANIELLE

Yes for the same price

How long will it take you?

ME
9:26am
ME

okay $500 right?

FAKE DANIELLE
9:26am
FAKE DANIELLE

Yes

ME
9:27am
ME

okay wiell I have to go and help out at a fundraiser for my church and won't be back till later this afternoon

FAKE DANIELLE
9:27am
FAKE DANIELLE

Please call Mr Dave (some phone number with an area code from Jamaica)

ME
9:28am
ME

I can't call right now as my roommate is on the phone

it's a very important call her grandfather is very sick

FAKE DANIELLE
9:28am
FAKE DANIELLE

Ma.'am I need you to buy the card and get back home to provide me with the code

Are you playing games

ME
9:29am
ME

she's calling and talking with her family so I don't want to tell her to get off hte phone

no i am not playig games I made sure I got the right card with the 14 digit number I double checked with the store clert

FAKE DANIELLE
9:30am
FAKE DANIELLE

tell her to send mi the correct code on the back of the card

ME
9:30am
ME

I can't interrupt my roommate she is very upset and grieving right now

I will giet a new card and give you the new card code when I get bak from my church fundraiser

FAKE DANIELLE
9:31am
FAKE DANIELLE

That will be too late

(Irate roommate now takes over the computer to continue conversation with Fake Danielle, typing with CAPS LOCK on)

IRATE ROOMMATE
9:32am

HELLO?

THIS IS IRATE ROOMMATE IM ME's ROOMMATE

WHO ARE YOU?

FAKE DANIELLE
9:33am
FAKE DANIELLE

Provide me with the correct code on the back of the card

IRATE ROOMMATE
9:34am
IRATE ROOMMATE

ANSWER ME! WHO ARE YOU?

FAKE DANIELLE
9:34am
FAKE DANIELLE

We will be delivering her prize today

The prize patrol team

Am not here to play games ME

IRATE ROOMMATE
9:35am
IRATE ROOMMATE

ARE YOU SOME SORT OF SCAMMER?

PCH NVER ASKS PEOPLE TO PAY MONEY TO GET THE PRIZE!

SHE TOLD ME YOU TOLD HER TO BUY moneyp** CARD!

DO YOU KNOW YOU CAN BE ARRESTED FOR FELONY FRAUD?

FAKE DANIELLE
9:36am
FAKE DANIELLE

ME do you want your prize or not

IRATE ROOMMATE
9:36am

IRATE ROOMMATE

AND THE NUMBER YOU GAVE HER ITO CALL DAVE FROM PRIZE PATROL IS FROM JAIMAICA!

YOU CAN GO TP PRISON FOR FELONY FRAUD AND FOR IMPERSONATIG A PCH OFFICIAL!

FAKE DANIELLE
9:37am
FAKE DANIELLE

Its a roaming phone if you call you will get dave

IRATE ROOMMATE
9:37am
IRATE ROOMMATE

I'M GOING TO CALL PCH AND LET THEM KNOW YU ARE COMMITING FRAUD

FAKE DANIELLE
9:37am
FAKE DANIELLE

[bleep] you

IRATE ROOMMATE
9:38am
IRATE ROOMMATE

AND I WILL TELL FACEBOOK TO BAN YOUR ACCUT BECAUSE YOU ARE NOT REALLY DINILLE LAM!

FAKE DANIELLE
9:38am
FAKE DANIELLE

Pussy wul

IRATE ROOMMATE
9:38am
IRATE ROOMMATE

[bleep] YOU TOO SSCAMMER, KISS YOUR FACEBOOK ACCT GOODBYE!

You cannot reply to this conversation.

Master of Master Baiters Joined: 18 Oct 2012 Posts: 611

Awesome stuff! Welcome to Eater antoine! The only thing I would suggest is that you do not bait with your own personal account. If she was contacting you with your Facebook, I would just report the person and move on. We do believe in safe-baiting. They might seem stupid, and we may make fools of the lads, but they're still hardened criminals, and it's best not to throw yourself in the line of fire so unnecessarily.

Nice to see you joining the good fight though! Have you had a chance to look through the tutorials? I recommend a mentor too if you're just starting out.

Posted: Fri Jun 13, 2014 5:54 am

Welcome to Eater. Please see our policies regarding safe baiting: as I understand it, you have messed with a scammer by using your real life Facebook details. Safety comes always first here, so for your next attempt you should make a completely new and fictitious account and bait from that. These people may seem like clueless idiots, but they are actual criminals and they have proven to be violent. We don't take any risks when baiting. It seems you have already wrapped this one up, but if the scammer comes back, ignore him completely and do not contact him again with your real life info.

Second, I understand it's tempting to tell the scammer that he is a scammer and tell him to get stuffed, but please refrain from that in the future as well. We don't want these guys knowing they've been had and we don't want to give them any clues on how to get better in their trade. I admit you did it in a relatively classy way by having the room mate take care of it and making it plausible, but a better approach is to continue the game for as long as possible and then simply vanish if the scammer doesn't drop you first.

Other than that, I echo Giggles: a very decent first attempt. Welcome aboard. Very Happy

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 01 Oct 2011 Posts: 4

Thanks for the advice, Gigglesworth and Duckling, it's been very helpful and I WILL follow it. I just know I've read some posts on PCH's FB page from people who actually DID get scammed and bought moneyp** cards, people who are already having a hard time making ends meet and are now really hurting after losing hundreds of dollars, and I just got so angry, I figured I'd start baiting these creeps and tying up their time so they'd be too busy to scam other people. I've NEVER given them my real address or phone number, but I do understand what you both said about using my real FB profile, so from now on, I'll just ignore any future friend requests and report any fake PCH Prize Patrol profiles to FB for impersonating the real PCH Prize Patrol (I did report to FB about the fake Danielle account in the PM chat I posted and they did get their account shut down).

Thanks again for the advice, I really appreciate it!

Posted: Fri Jun 13, 2014 6:36 am

Always great to see a newcomer being open for advice!

For starters your best bet would be to check this very handy collection of essential links: http://forum.419eater.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=237673

All of the links in that thread answer various questions the newcomers usually have when they come, but it's also a lot of material to read when you have just arrived. In your position I would first concentrate on familiarizing yourself with our community's procedures and study at least these threads from the links:

http://forum.419eater.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=176248
http://forum.419eater.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=137846
http://forum.419eater.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=32877
http://forum.419eater.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=237944

These will help you to better understand what we are talking about here. You will soon notice that we use our own little language around here and normal English words like "safari" or "lad" have their special meaning in here. And then we use completely made up words and abbreviations like "rsot" and "asem" too. Likewise, by studying those threads you will understand where we are coming from when we discuss our everyday activities and give advice to each other. We take those things for granted here (as well as knowing the lingo), so we don't always remember to explain everything thoroughly to the newcomers who haven't necessarily still grasped it all. Embarassed

After reading for a while and deciding if you want to stick around, consider getting a mentor. It's a very straightforward thing to do and you'll get your very own senior member to guide you in your first few baiting attempts. On the forums in general you will recognize us from the black mortar hat icon in our signature lines, like the one in mine on the top left corner. Feel free to ask for help. Smile

See this thread on getting a mentor: http://forum.419eater.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=183735

And this thread on what getting a mentor actually means in practice: http://forum.419eater.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=250146

Master of Master Baiters Joined: 18 Oct 2012 Posts: 611

I know the urge to strike back. I'm in this because my poor aunt fell for a vlad. She lost EVERYTHING. Her house, her car, custody of my cousins, because someone decided to take advantage of a lonely middle aged woman who had gone through a divorce.I'm working my way up to vlads for that reason, because in my opinion, they're the worst. They aren't promising a monetary payout, but an emotional purely, and that's just scummy. Not to say the lads don't do the same, but still...

That said, if you're ever looking for someone to double team on, send me a message. I'm relatively new as well (I've had one successful bait and am now juggling two of them at once), but I've got the enthusiasm! Everyone on here is great.

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 01 Oct 2011 Posts: 4

I know baiting can be a real time sink and I know right now I don't have a lot of time to devote on baiting, so I'll probably hold off on getting a mentor for now, but I do appreciate the offer! (maybe in the future if I have more time, I'll look into getting a mentor).

I did remember that I had a FB account registered to another e-mail that I only used for playing games like Farmville, Words with Friends, etc., using a pseudonymous name, I hadn't used it in a long time, so a couple days ago I did log in with that and posted something to PCH's FB. I then got a friend request from another fake PCH Prize Patrol profile who started msg'ing me. They asked me for my full name, city I was born in, and my parents' full names, all of which I gave bogus answers for. Then they asked me for my SSN and my bank account/routing number! (obviously I would never give them that info!). I replied that I had a church meeting to go to and my ride had shown up at my door to pick me up so I had to log off immediately, but that I'd msg them later when I got back from church. I logged on the next day and the fake Prize Patrol person wasn't on-line so I didn't bother msg'ing them.

Anyway, what would you suggest I do? Maybe just tell them I don't want to give that info out on-line but that I could give them that info when the Prize Patrol comes to my house? Or just not bother msg'ing them any more? Whatever advice you might have would be greatly appreciated!

(FYI, I haven't had any new friend requests from PCH impostors to my main FB account, but if I do get any more, I'll just plan to play it safe and ignore/report them to FB as fakes, like you've recommended)

Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2014 2:03 am

If the facebook account does not lead to you.

You can tell the lad that it is illegal to send SS# over the internet.

With the bank account tell him that you got into some trouble for receiving stolen money and you can not open a bank account for 5 years.

Get him off FB to email. Tell him that you check your email more frequently.

Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2014 3:34 am

I would try to get a bank account from them. They're asking for $500, that's enough that your character should have to run to the bank to withdraw the money. So you can try telling them you don't know what the hell a moneyp** is. And if they ask you to go to WU or MG, you can come back and tell them that the bank warned you against those services. Or, just insist on using a bank transfer from the start. Once you get the account info, report it to a mod so it can get shut down.

I just checked out the PCH page using one of my fake Facebook pages. I added a few comments so maybe I can get a bite or two as well.

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 01 Oct 2011 Posts: 4

It looks like the impostor wanting my SSN and bank account # has already had their profile reported; I'm so disappointed! Wink

Oh, well, maybe I'll get another friend request soon!

Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2014 12:16 pm

That's too bad! Hopefully if you get another hit you can get them to email in case they disappear again. Sadly my Andy's not won the PCH yet.

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