Always remember to read the fine print before you do anything!

Picture this, you receive a letter in the mail from Publishers Clearing House and after you open and read it, it states that you won a Publishers Clearing House grand prize! Most of us would start jumping up and down screaming, "I'm RICH!!!" Not so fast!

The New York State Police at Troop F in Middletown has just released information on Facebook that they have been made aware of a new scam that has happened in the Hudson Valley and they are hoping that by getting the word out nobody else will fall for the same scam.

New York State Police/Facebook
New York State Police/Facebook
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Here's the Scam

An Orange Country resident reported to the State Police barrack in Middletown that they received a letter in the mail that they believed was from Publishers Clearing House. After opening the letter and reading it, they noticed that there was a check made out to them attached to the letter. The letter instructed them to call a specific phone number to claim their $750,000 prize.

Once he called the number, he was instructed to deposit the check into his bank account and send a money order in the amount of $7,700 to an address they provided. Police have confirmed that these types of checks are fraudulent and are hoping that releasing the actual letter that was received, will prevent anyone else from falling for this type of scam. These types of scams are frequently targeted at the elderly and vulnerable according to police.

If you receive a letter like the one above, make sure you pay attention to the way the letter is written. For example, look at the grammar and misspelled words in the first paragraph of the letter that was received.

New York State Police/Facebook
New York State Police/Facebook
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The mistakes are the first sign that the letter is a scam. If you do receive a letter like this one in the mail police are asking you to contact your local police department immediately.

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