The Perfect Scam
The Perfect Scam
AARP
A Hawaii News Icon and a Sweepstakes Scam
55 minutes Posted Jul 17, 2026 at 4:01 am.
0:00
55:16
Download MP3
Show notes

Linda Coble is retired from a storied career as Hawaii's first female news anchor, but she stays active in her community through charity work. So when she receives a phone call informing her that she has won a $5 million prize from Publishers Clearing House, she immediately starts dreaming of the good she can do with the money. Coble is told she must make tax payments in order to release the prize, but as the fees add up, she begins to worry that it is all a scam. An employee at her bank confirms her suspicions. With $60,000 of her savings gone and her whole life changed in a matter of weeks, Coble returns to the airwaves to tell her story.