eFinder

eFinder

Home › Elderly vulnerability › Article

Ex-TV news anchor loses $60K after scammers said she won millions in Publishers Clearing House sweepstakes

Nypost · · 468 words · By Ariel Zilber
Elderly vulnerability Financial Fraud
open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/05/20/media/ex-tv-news-anchor-loses-60k-in-publishers-cl…

psychologyDetected Techniques

warning
Loaded Language 70% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

9 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

info Single Source 7
check_circle Corroborated 1
help Insufficient Evidence 1
info
“A former Hawaii TV news anchor says she was left feeling “ashamed” after scammers conned her out of nearly $60,000 with a fake Publishers Clearing House sweepstakes prize.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The claim is reported by Hawaii News Now. While other search results discuss PCH scams generally, only the Hawaii News Now source specifically links Linda Coble to this specific loss of nearly $60,000.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — African Americans are an ethnic group in the United States. The first achievements by African Americans in diverse fields have historically marked footholds, often leading to more widespread cultural …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_African-American_f…
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Events from the year 1987 in the United States.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1987_in_the_United_States
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Jesse Alexander Helms Jr. (October 18, 1921 – July 4, 2008) was an American politician, a journalist, and Navy veteran. A leader in the conservative and nationalist movement, he represented North Caro…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesse_Helms
+ 3 more evidence sources
check_circle
“Linda Coble, 79, who made history as Hawaii’s first female TV anchor in 1971”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent sources confirm Linda Coble's age (79) and her status as Hawaii's first female TV news anchor/newscaster in 1971.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Jesse Alexander Helms Jr. (October 18, 1921 – July 4, 2008) was an American politician, a journalist, and Navy veteran. A leader in the conservative and nationalist movement, he represented North Caro…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesse_Helms
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of close election results on the national level and within administrative divisions. It lists results that have been decided by a margin of less than 1 vote in 1,000 (a margin of less t…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_close_election_results
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — African Americans are an ethnic group in the United States. The first achievements by African Americans in diverse fields have historically marked footholds, often leading to more widespread cultural …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_African-American_f…
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
“she fell victim to an elaborate scam after receiving a phone call in March from a man identifying himself as “Mike Diamond” from US Customs.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The specific detail about 'Mike Diamond' from US Customs is mentioned in the Hawaii News Now reporting; other sources provide general information on scams but do not corroborate this specific name/entity for this victim.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2004 United States House of Representatives elections were held on November 2, 2004, to elect all 435 seats of the chamber. It coincided with the re-election of President George W. Bush as well as…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_United_States_House_of_Re…
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Events in the year 2011 in the United States.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_in_the_United_States
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — In the United States, abortion is a divisive issue in politics and culture wars. Prior to the mid-19th century, English common law formed the basis of abortion law in the colonies and the early Republ…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abortion_in_the_United_States
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
““I had won the sweepstakes at Publishers Clearing House — $5,500,000,” Coble told Hawaii News Now.”
SINGLE SOURCE
Hawaii News Now explicitly reports that Coble was told she won $5.5 million. Other search results mention $5.5 million PCH scams involving other victims, but only one source links this specific amount to Coble.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Events in the year 2011 in the United States.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_in_the_United_States
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Police said the woman, whose identity was not provided, was contacted by phone and told she had won a $5.5 million Publishers Clearing House sweepstakes.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/woman-thought-she-won-5-…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — A New Jersey man duped a 72-year-old Michigan woman out of more than $200,000 by tricking her into believing she won a $5.5 million Publishers Clearing House sweepstakes, authorities allege. Donald Jo…
https://www.nj.com/news/2026/01/nj-man-charged-in-55m-publis…
+ 1 more evidence source
info
“the caller directed her to send checks and money orders to cover taxes and fees tied to the supposed cash prize”
SINGLE SOURCE
The detail that 'Mike' directed her to send checks and money orders for taxes and fees is reported by Hawaii News Now.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Over several weeks, “Mike” walked her through everything, directing her to send checks and money orders to cover taxes and fees for the cash prize, and to keep everything a secret to not ruin the surp…
https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2026/05/16/i-trusted-them-hawa…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Understand the difference between a money order and a cashier's check, and learn why it's safer to use them instead of cash.
https://www.tiktok.com/discover/money-order-or-check
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Types of Taxes and Fees. You are probably familiar with major taxes, such as income tax and sales tax. Property taxes are also a significant source of government revenue, especially at the local level…
https://smallbusiness.chron.com/differences-between-taxes-fe…
info
“another woman calling herself “Gail O’Brien” repeatedly vouched for the caller’s credibility.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of dictionary definitions of the word 'person' and does not contain any mention of 'Gail O'Brien' or her role in the scam.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — A person (pl.: people or persons, depending on context) is a being who has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a cultura…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Person
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — May 12, 2026 · The words person and people are not related etymologically. Person comes from Latin persona, meaning "actor's mask; character in a play; person," while people comes from Latin populus, …
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/person
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The first person ("I" or "we") refers to the person speaking, the second person ("you") refers to the person being spoken to and the third person ("he", "she", "it", or "they") refers to another perso…
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/person
info
“Coble also received letters and emails from people claiming to work for the IRS and the US Marshals Office.”
SINGLE SOURCE
Hawaii News Now reports that Coble received letters and emails from people claiming to be from the IRS and the US Marshals Office.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Coble also received letters and emails from people claiming to be “Mike’s” colleagues from the IRS and the U.S. Marshals Office. Coble says she didn’t feel the need to verify their identities or claim…
https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2026/05/16/i-trusted-them-hawa…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Find IRS forms and answers to tax questions. We help you understand and meet your federal tax responsibilities.
https://www.irs.gov/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) administers and enforces U.S. federal tax laws.Official websites use .gov A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
https://www.usa.gov/agencies/internal-revenue-service
info
“The scammers even mailed her what appeared to be a cashier’s check for $5.5 million”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence for this claim discusses other unrelated scams (property and romance scams) and does not mention a fraudulent check sent to Linda Coble.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Linda Coble is the last person you’d expect to be fooled by scammers. The 79-year-old made history as Hawaii’s first female TV newscaster in 1971 and built a successful care…
https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2026/05/16/i-trusted-them-hawa…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — In short: Two men swindled more than $6 million from five people via a fraudulent property investment scheme. One of those victims says she wants Andre Langos, 44, and Sam Smith, 57, to be given a "su…
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-05-12/andre-langos-and-sam-…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — A romance scammer drained $1.2 million from a surprising victim: the City of Norfolk.With $1.2 million in fraudulent transactions, it's clear this romance scam had a big reach. Unfortunately, these sc…
https://moneywise.com/news/top-stories/norfolk-virginia-roma…
help
“Coble said by that time, she had lost a whopping $60,000.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was provided or found in the search results to corroborate the specific total loss of $60,000 for Linda Coble.
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.