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Beware of Publishers Clearing House Scams!

Hello, Friends and Fans,

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We at Publishers Clearing House want to bring all of you a very important message today – one that we cannot emphasize strongly enough. Please be aware that there are scammers out there claiming they represent Publishers Clearing House. Unfortunately, these scams are especially prevalent right now – when the real PCH is about to award one lucky individual a life-changing SuperPrize.

As much as we try to warn unsuspecting individuals about the difference between the real Publishers Clearing House Sweeps and an illegitimate scam, we too often learn about good, honest folks like you going through some unfortunate experiences. That is why we would like to alert you to 4 important warning signs to be aware of to help you spot the scammers and their deceitful tricks.

 How to Spot Publishers Clearing House Scam

payme1. If someone contacts you claiming to be from PCH, and tells you that you’ve won a prize award – then asks you to send a payment or money card in order to claim the prize – STOP!  You have not heard from the real PCH. IT’S A SCAM! At Publishers Clearing House the winning is always free and you NEVER have to pay to claim a prize award.

 

 

email2. If you receive an email notifying you that you have won a major prize in the Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes, DON’T BE FOOLED: IT’S A SCAM! Publishers Clearing House does NOT send e-mails notifying consumers that they have won a major prize. If you win a major prize in our sweepstakes (like our February 28th SuperPrize), you’ll know when the Prize Patrol shows up at your door with the Big Check.

 

 

2_25_Phone Scam3. If you receive a phone call from someone claiming to be from Publishers Clearing House and are asked to send money, pay a fee or pre-pay taxes to enter, collect or claim a sweepstakes prize, DON’T BE FOOLED: IT’S A SCAM!  You have not heard from the “real” Publishers Clearing House. The call you received was most likely from a fraudulent sweepstakes scam operation. Again, at Publishers Clearing House the winning is always free.

 

friendrequest4. If someone from Publishers Clearing House sends you a friend request on Facebook, DON’T BE FOOLED: IT’S A SCAM!  The Prize Patrol will NEVER send friend requests to you on Facebook. Moreover, the PCH Prize Patrol members (Danielle Lam, Dave Sayer, and Todd Sloane) never send private messages on Facebook. In addition, PCH does not notify its winners through Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or any other social media website.

 

These are the ONLY legitimate Prize Patrol pages on Facebook:

Danielle Lam PCH Prize Patrol
Dave Sayer PCH Prize Patrol
Todd Sloane PCH Prize Patrol

For more PCH Facebook scam prevention tips, please watch this video from Prize Patrol member Danielle Lam.

If you feel you have been the victim of a Publishers Clearing House Scam, please report it immediately using our Scam Incident Report.

And don’t be embarrassed to report anything suspicious – the scammers have even tried to fool our own employees!

As always, you should always verify the information in any winner notification you may receive before making any risky moves. And if you ever have any questions, let us know! We’re more than happy to help!

Stay safe everyone, and good luck on February 28th, when we announce our next SuperPrize winner!

Debbie K.
PCH Creative

Other blogs you may like:
A Personal Example of a Publishers Clearing House Scam

Publishers Clearing House Scam Prevention Tips from Danielle Lam

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Comments

  1. I received a check to pay for a lawyer from Bridgecrest acceptance corporation and was told to notify claims manager at 1-318-240-3346 or 1-519-903-7675 and give code ? Is it a scam?

    1. Hello Scott, Please report all contacts from scammers to PCH via this link: http://bit.ly/Report-Scam-To-PCH. PCH does partner with the Federal Trade Commission and we send all scam reports to them so please make sure you let us know anytime a scammer contacts you. Remember, the real PCH never notifies major prize winners via phone, standard mail, email, or social media, and we never ask winners to pay to claim their prize. You can see more Safety Tips here: https://bit.ly/FraudProtection2. Please be careful everyone; don’t become a scammer’s victim.

  2. They said they were attorneys from publishers clearing house all kinds of things, but they never once asked for money. They said they were attorneys from publishers, clearing house, all kinds of stuff, but they never once asked me, they said they would never ask me to pay anything, they gave me a choice, three options to send it to my bank or ACA, or Walmart. I chose to go to Walmart and they were to send the $5000. They didn’t ask me for any numbers or anything, just to get one of those money card so they can send me the 5000.

    1. Hello Yolanda, Please report all contacts from scammers to PCH via this link: http://bit.ly/Report-Scam-To-PCH. PCH does partner with the Federal Trade Commission and we send all scam reports to them so please make sure you let us know anytime a scammer contacts you. Remember, the real PCH never notifies major prize winners via phone, standard mail, email, or social media, and we never ask winners to pay to claim their prize. You can see more Safety Tips here: https://bit.ly/FraudProtection2. Please be careful everyone; don’t become a scammer’s victim.

  3. CONTACTED TODAY BY SOMEONE WHO SAID HIS NAME IS “TODD SALOAN” FROM PCH PRIZE PATROL, PHONE NUMBER 1-585-412-4605. HE SAID I WON MILLIONS, AND HE REQUESTED MY BANK ACCOUNT NUMBER FOR A WIRE TRANSFER OF THE MONEY. SCAM?

    1. Hello Joe, Thank you very much for reporting the scammers that have contacted you. Stopping them is a team effort and we are happy that you are doing your part. While it may be tempting, we don’t encourage you to interact with them any more than is minimally necessary. Simply tell them that you know they’re not the real PCH and hang up or disconnect your mode of contact with them. To stop scammers from contacting you on Facebook, check out this PCH Blog article: http://bit.ly/StopFBScammers. As a reminder, you can report scammers to PCH at this link: http://bit.ly/Report-Scam-To-PCH. Be careful and stay safe everyone!!

    1. Hi Toni! We’d be happy to assist you with this but we’re going to need a little more information. Please reach out to our Customer Service team who will be happy to help. You can find all our contact information right here: http://bit.ly/ContactPCH. We look forward to hearing from you!

  4. I received a phone call from a Kevin smith saying I won a lot of money but I would have to purchase some kind of stamp and 3 were needed they pay for 2 and I would have to pay for one and today they put 1500 into my checking account and told me to go to cvs and purchase 3 500 money psckycsrds and call them back , is this a scsm

  5. I received a phone call claiming to be from Susan Williamson. The message said I was the 1st place winner from a promo (Senior Citizens Cash for Life) and gave me a 4-digit code and phone number to call. $$$$$ claimed to be Publishers Clearing House. “Due to busy lines,” leave your name and number for a return call. The call back from “James Cooper, senior adviser,” said I won $18 million plus 10K/week for life! (Senior Citizen cash for life). There were requirements involving establishing bank accounts, and another person, Mr. Frank Moss, Senior VP, did not comply and had no further direct contact. I received six calls from restricted numbers for several hours.

    1. Hi Sheila! Please report all contacts from scammers to PCH via this link: http://bit.ly/Report-Scam-To-PCH. PCH does partner with the Federal Trade Commission and we send all scam reports to them so please make sure you let us know anytime a scammer contacts you. Remember, the real PCH never notifies major prize winners via phone, standard mail, email, or social media, and we never ask winners to pay to claim their prize. You can see more Safety Tips here: https://bit.ly/FraudProtection2. Please be careful everyone; don’t become a scammer’s victim.