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State AG's Office Says Georgia Man Taking Advantage Of N.C. Residents

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CUMBERLAND COUNTY, N.C. — The state Attorney General's office said a man from Georgia who claims to be with Publishers Clearing House is using the organization's name to try and scam money out of North Carolina residents.

Investigators believe the same man tried to get money from Thomas Marshall. Marshall was told he won $1 million and a new car, but in order to collect the prize, he had to use his credit card and wire $160 through Western Union.

"Of course you think this is the day, but the more he talked, the more you knew," he said. "He didn't know what city I was from. He didn't know my first name, so he started throwing out some initial indicators that I knew something was wrong."

Investigators say the con artist is calling from different phones in the Atlanta area. He also uses different names. Some victims claim they have been scanned out of $50. Others said they have been taken for thousands.

"You never, ever give your credit card number over the phone unless you are the one who initiated the call and you know who yare are calling," said Lt. Jimmy Black of the Fayetteville Police Department.

The Attorney General's Office is working with authorities in Georgia to try to catch the con artist. A spokesperson at the Attorney General's office said this man has been pulling this scam for years.

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