RIP-OFF ALERT: While the legitimate Publishers Clearing House sweepstakes heads toward a Feb. 25 crescendo, scamsters are duping people into believing they've already won the bounty.

Financial writer David Lazarus reports that crooks are calling people and posing as a representative from Bank of America responsible for disbursing $2.5 million in winnings. The crooks typically say they're based out of BOA's New York facility. They'll send you a bogus check that looks very official but isn't legitimate.

In one variation, some crooks are pretending to be from Wachovia/Wells-Fargo instead of BOA.

Remember, the real Publishers Clearing House sweepstakes is for $10 million -- not $2.5 million -- and can be entered at PCH.com.