Sweepstakes Scam Linked To Wednesday’s Suspicious Item Response at Hall of Justice

LINCOLN–(KFOR June 29)–All the commotion at the Hall of Justice Wednesday afternoon, which prompted a response from bomb technicians, circulated around a sweepstakes scam.

Lincoln Police Sgt. Chris Vollmer says a 69-year-old Lincoln man had fallen victim to a scam, where he apparently won $18-million and a new car through Publisher’s Clearing House. The person who contacted the victim said to claim the prize, he had to send several checks totaling $32,000 to an unknown person. The man received a briefcase that apparently contained the winnings and information about the car.

But Vollmer says the victim was told not to open it because the documents would be destroyed by a mechanism and ink. That’s when another person told the victim to contact police. Security at the Hall of Justice grew concerned about the briefcase, as it went through their monitoring system.

Bomb technicians were called in and later declared the brief case safe. Inside were nothing but papers and no winnings.