Karen Lander
Northern News Services

NNSL (Feb 19/99) - A Yellowknife woman's hope of becoming a millionaire was short-lived recently when she was quick to realize she was dealing with a con artist.

Anna, who doesn't want her last named revealed, says she was contacted by phone from a man claiming to be from the Publisher's Clearing House.

The man, who identified himself as Harold Leatherman from New York, told her she had just won $1 million. The only catch was that she, as the grand-prize winner, would have to send the company two per cent of her prize ($20,000) in U.S. funds by Feb. 26.

"At first, he was asking why I wasn't excited," the woman told Yellowknifer.

"Then he started asking me what my occupation was," which, she says, tipped her off that all was not as it should be.

Yellowknifer contacted Publisher's Clearing House and was told by a spokesperson that Leatherman was not representing their organization. Furthermore, if someone had won $1 million, a representative from Publisher's Clearing House would deliver the news personally at the winner's home.

"We would give it to them without (them) having to pay for it," the spokesperson said.