A Publishers Clearing House Founder’s Legacy

Another reason to say "Wow PCH is a great company!"

Publishers Clearing House (also known as PCH) was founded in 1953 by Harold and LuEsther Mertz and their daughter Joyce Mertz Gilmore. The success of the company before their deaths enabled them to establish charitable trusts which to this day benefit annually from the sales performance of PCH. Indeed, nearly 50% of the company’s profits go directly to worthwhile causes including the arts, social services and the environment.

In 1962, LuEsther Mertz founded Choice Magazine Listening, a free audio anthology of the best of contemporary magazine writing for the blind, visually impaired, or physically disabled. At that time, only a handful of periodicals were available in braille or recorded formats for those unable to read regular print. In describing her concept for Choice Magazine Listening, Mrs. Mertz wrote: “I do not think of this project as philanthropy. To me and those associated with me, it represents a privilege, an opportunity for communication and even self-expression. It is a chance to share some of the good reading we enjoy. And if we do it well, as we hope, it will be a stimulating and rewarding experience.” Ironically, in her later years, she suffered a significant reduction in her eyesight. Choice Magazine Listening continues her mission today and can be visited at http://choicemagazinelistening.org.

This service is just one more example of how a winning attitude has infused every aspect of our business – from providing consumers with discount magazine deals, quality merchandise offerings, convenience and outstanding customer service to contests and sweepstakes that bring winning moments worth millions of dollars to real people like you.

So why not take advantage of all these opportunities?

PCH offers a fabulous selection of unique products, including popular As Seen on TV items available in our mailings and online. Chances to win big cash prizes are in the mail and at our growing network of websites including pch.com, pchwow.com, PCHTV.com and PCH Search & Win. Plus we offer several PCH free online game sites, such as PCH Games (where you can play the popular Jigsaw Puzzle Game or Mah Jong Alchemy, plus many other games), or PCH Scratch Cards. We hope you visit them and we hope you enter the Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes online as often as you can! Our PCH Prize Patrol wants to welcome you into our huge family of winners.

We wish you the best of luck!

Dave Sayer

Executive Director

PCH PRIZE PATROL

Publishers Clearing House Combats Counterfeit Check Scams

Here at Publishers Clearing House, we're fighting back against counterfeit check scammers pretending to be from our company. We've upped the ante in the war against con artists posing as legitimate sweepstakes by expanding efforts to shut down the phone numbers of these rogue scammers.

Recent reports have detailed an increase in fake check scams fraudulently using the name of legitimate sweepstakes and using automated phone technology to deceive unsuspecting people. Consumers receive what looks like a real check via the USPS and are asked to send money back in order to process their winnings. By the time they’ve sent the money, the fake check bounces and the money sent is taken out of their personal account.

Victims of this fraudulent activity are also often fooled into thinking the counterfeit checks are real through telephone-based frauds that exploit the public's trust in landline telephone services.

In many of these scams, criminals have illegally and fraudulently used the Publishers Clearing House name in an attempt to benefit from our well-known reputation and good will. They are not in any way associated with our company, yet they are hurting our good name. Furthermore, we don't like it one bit that consumers are being ripped off by these criminals! As a result, we've increased efforts to identify the phone numbers of the scammers and immediately shut down the numbers.

We've hired a company, called BrandProtect, with new technology, approaches and tactical human intelligence to help us shut down the phone numbers and websites behind these bogus offers, often on the same day they’re discovered. Through a combination of advanced technology, 'round-the-clock monitoring, proven best practices and exhaustive human analysis, BrandProtect is uniquely positioned to identify and respond to the most relevant, highest-priority threats.

These scams harm consumers and falsely associate the Publishers Clearing House brand with illegal activities. As an industry leader we work closely with the consumer protection community to help shut down all scams affecting our most valuable asset, our customers. Publishers Clearing House has partnered with the FTC and other regulatory groups to help fight sweepstakes scams and now we're trying even harder.

In the words of our own Director of Online Operations, Sal Tripi, “Our partnership with BrandProtect is a continuation of a long-term policy of educating and protecting customers. Now that the situation is becoming more complex we’ve got a few more tricks up our sleeves to ensure our customer’s security. Consumers should be aware that if they are asked to send money in order to enter a sweepstakes or claim a prize, it is not a legitimate offer and it is certainly not from the real Publishers Clearing House.”

Note to customers: Don't be fooled by imitators – make sure it's the REAL Publishers Clearing House!

Note to scammers: We're determined to make it hard for you to do this to our customers, so cut it out!

Legitimate Sweepstakes Won’t Do This!

Make sure it's the REAL Publishers Clearing House ...

Recently a customer wrote to report she had received a letter that looked like it was printed on Publishers Clearing House letterhead, saying she was a “3rd place winner of $1,000,000.” Also a check for $5,340.00 came with the letter saying, “it was to cover any outstanding fees that have not been paid by PCH directly.”

I immediately responded to warn her that the letter she received is NOT from the REAL Publishers Clearing House. It is a fake check scam. It is not affiliated with our company in any way.

Here’s my reply to the customer:

You have received a hoax communication from a scam operator who is NOT affiliated with Publishers Clearing House in any way. This is not the real Publishers Clearing House.

Don't send them any money. Don't even call them back. They will rip you off. Remember, in any legitimate sweepstakes, like the real Publishers Clearing House, you do not have to buy anything or pay a fee in order to get your prize money. If you win, we give you the money with no strings attached.

Please go to the National Consumer League’s consumer protection website for more information and a consumer warning about fake check fraud: www.fakechecks.org.

Also, please read our December 3, 2008 PCH Blog entry entitled, Don't Be Fooled By Imitators ! It is a consumer alert regarding this type of scam.

You can enter the REAL Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes online or through the mail for FREE. If you win our $5,000 A Week for Life SuperPrize, guaranteed to be awarded on February 26th, the PCH Prize Patrol will personally hand deliver the Big Check to you and you won’t have to pay us a single cent to get your prize! The big winning moment will be filmed by video camera to be seen on TV and on our website, pchtv.com. The sweepstakes winner’s story will be told online at the PCH Blog and we will welcome a new multi-millionaire into our family of Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes Winners.

Best of luck,

Deborah Holland
Executive Vice President
Publishers Clearing House

Don’t Be Fooled By Imitators!

Entry is Free in the REAL Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes

When you win a prize from a Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes entry, we give you the money with no strings attached, just as in the winning moments you’ve seen on TV. A legitimate sweepstakes like the Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes will NEVER ask you to send money or to pay a fee, tax or deposit to enter the sweepstakes or claim a prize. Entry is free in an honest contest, like the one run by Publishers Clearing House. If you are asked to send money to claim a sweepstakes prize for any reason you are being scammed.

We want to warn you about scam artists sending out real looking checks in an attempt to get you to send money! They send you an official looking letter claiming to be from a legitimate sweepstakes. The letter may illegally use the name of a well known company like Publishers Clearing House or a sound alike name in an attempt to build trust; but, they are NOT affiliated with our company in any way. The letter encloses a real looking check that may appear legitimate, but it’s not. Even your bank may be fooled.

What’s the catch? Even though the scammer’s check is bogus, if you deposit the check the money may be available to you for a short time. Under federal law, banks make the funds you deposit available quickly – usually within one to five days, depending on the type of check. But just because you can withdraw the money doesn’t mean the check is good. It can take weeks for the forgery to be discovered and the check to bounce. And that’s what the scam artists are counting on. They hope that if you believe the check is real you’ll be willing to send them money back.

The scammers may tell you that you were given an advance on a sweepstakes prize and that some fee, tax or additional payment is necessary. You may be told you are being paid the first installment on millions and that you will receive more after wiring a portion back. Whatever the set-up, the results are the same, so don’t be fooled by these imitators. If you send money back you’ll be out twice. You are responsible for checks or monies deposited into your account. When a check or money order bounces you will owe the bank the money you withdrew and the scammers will have any additional money you send them in their pockets!

Remember, there is no legitimate reason for someone who is awarding prize money to ask you to wire money back – so Don’t Be Fooled! Instead, why not enter the REAL Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes online, for FREE! Who knows, maybe you will be the next lucky cash prize winner and have your winning moment shown on TV.

Note: If you believe you are the victim of a Fake Check Scam illegally using the Publishers Clearing House name or logo, please contact us immediately by calling our toll free number at 1-800-645-9242. Consumers are also advised to contact the National Fraud Center at www.fraud.org. For more information on Fake Check Scams visit www.fakechecks.org.

Respectfully submitted,
The Consumer Affairs Department of Publishers Clearing House