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5 Ways To Know If It’s A Publishers Clearing House Scam!

4_5_Spot A Publishers Clearing House Scam

 

Publishers Clearing House is the REAL deal― a legitimate sweepstakes company that has awarded more than $225 Million in Cash and Prizes so far! Unfortunately, sometimes criminals try to cash in on our good name and trick unsuspecting people like you with Publishers Clearing House Scams. While they may be convincing, here are 5 foolproof ways to know for sure if an offer is from the REAL PCH — or if it’s a Publishers Clearing House Scam.

1. If you’re required to wire or pay any amount of money in order to claim a prize, it’s a Publishers Clearing House Scam. PCH sweepstakes are ALWAYS FREE to enter, and there is never any fee associated with winning.

2. If you’re asked to load up a Green Dot MoneyPak  or other money transfer card, in exchange for claiming your prize, it’s a Publishers Clearing House Scam. Again, PCH will NEVER ask you to pay a cent to collect a prize.

3. If someone tries to contact you in advance regarding a prize delivery, it’s a Publishers Clearing House Scam! After all, that would ruin the surprise! For decades, our Prize Patrol has captured the elated reactions of surprised winners and used them in our nationally-televised commercials. You’ll know you’re a big PCH winner if you see the Prize Patrol at your front door holding a “Big Check” with your name on it!

4. If someone calls you on the telephone claiming to be from Publishers Clearing House and says you have won, it’s a Publishers Clearing House Scam. Do NOT give them any personal information!  As stated above, the Prize Patrol awards all our Big Prizes in person and would never call you to update any personal information in our files.

5. If someone claiming to be from Publishers Clearing House tries to send you a friend request on Facebook, it’s a Publishers Clearing House Scam. Even if they are using the name and photo of a prominent PCH employee  ―do NOT believe them. Our PCH employees and official PCH Prize Patrol Fan pages will never private message you on Facebook.

So fans, keep these 5 tips in mind, and you’ll be protected against Publishers Clearing House Scams. If you have more questions about whether something is legitimate or a scam, please visit our FAQ page. And if you’ve been contacted by a scammer, please fill out a Scam Incident Report.

And remember, you can’t WIN if you’re not IN! So, keep entering the PCH Sweepstakes daily.

All the best!

elaina

Elaina R.
PCH Online Creative

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Comments

  1. Hello Joan, I am really happy that you knew that it was not the real PCH who contacted you! We never notify major winners over the phone or through standard mail, email or Facebook. We would really appreciate it if you would send us the details of this scam call you received. PCH does not send private Facebook messages to our fans so please complete a Scam Incident Report. Here’s how: http://bit.ly/Report-Scam-To-PCH. There are a lot of scammers out there who use the good name and reputation of PCH, as well as the names of those of us on the Prize Patrol. Please be careful everyone!!

  2. I received a phone call from Peter Mars. Phone number 954 954 $$$$.He said I won$14,500,000.00 and a 2024 Mercedes, Geico insurance for 1 year, 2 years of gas and $2,500.00 per week…He is sending documents. My name is Jerusalem, 570-604-$$$$.

  3. Does PCH call to tell you that you have an unclaimed award? I received one from area code (518 indicating this and asked to be called back. It was a woman saying your address and everything.

    I don’t know how you contact someone who has an unclaimed prize. Please advise so I know if I should call back.

    1. Hi Kathleen, We certainly take the issue of scams and the illegal use of our name by scammers very seriously; that’s why we regularly educate our fans on what they can do to protect themselves. Unfortunately, scammers aren’t always easy to locate since many of them operate out of country. You can do your part to help us by reporting all scam contacts that you receive. Here’s how to report scammers on Facebook: http://bit.ly/ReportPCHScamFB and all other scam contacts can be reported to PCH via this link: http://bit.ly/Report-Scam-To-PCH. It’s important to remember that the real PCH will never send you a private message or friend request, and we’ll never ask for money to claim a prize. I encourage you to take a look at this blog article for some great tips on how you can stop scammers from contacting you on Facebook: http://bit.ly/StopFBScammers.