Hi blog readers! Have you ever received a message from someone who claims to work for PCH? Maybe the message notified you that you won a big prize. Maybe it told you that you needed to pay money to claim that prize. Unfortunately, these messages are Publishers Clearing House scams! They are not from the real Publishers Clearing House. We’ve done a lot here on the blog to try to alert you to these PCH scams, but we thought it might be helpful to provide you with some excerpts from actual scams that were sent by fraudsters illegally using the PCH name, in order to dupe you.
Before we get started, here are few important things to remember: You NEVER have to pay to claim a PCH prize. Winners of our larger prize award amounts are surprised in person by the Prize Patrol, NOT sent messages on Facebook or emails like this. Publishers Clearing House scams often have MANY spelling and grammatical errors. Try to read them out loud … you’ll see how nonsensical they sound. An official PCH message would not be written like that!
Let’s get started!
This message is not from PCH, it is a PCH SCAM! How can you tell?
For starters, none of the above or these contest details are legitimate. If you were to ask a PCH employee about a “Super Bucks Giveaway,” we would be quick to tell you it does not exist. Also, we are in no way associated with the U.S. Betting Gaming and Lotteries Commission. AND if you were to use PCHSearch&Win to research that supposed government authority, you would find that it does not even exist in the U.S.
This message is not from PCH, it is a PCH SCAM! How can you tell?
Again, the grammar is off in many places. Just a few examples: “you are been advised,” and “your fund remitted to your account”. Plus, take a look at how the prize amount is written: “$1.200,000.00”. There’s a decimal instead of a comma after the “1”.
This message is not from PCH, it is a PCH SCAM! How can you tell?
They repeated the “this is part of our security protocol” sentence TWICE within the same paragraph! Also, PCH never asks you to keep quiet about your winnings. Quite the opposite! We’re always proudly posting pictures and videos of our winners! But the scammers want you to stay quiet so they can get your money without the authorities finding out.
This message is not from PCH, it is a PCH SCAM! How can you tell?
It’s easy! This message contains the BIGGEST red flag — it asks you to pay money to claim your prize. Remember: you NEVER have to pay or make any purchase to claim a prize from Publishers Clearing House. Also, if you ever hear/see the words “GREEN DOT MONEY PAK CARD” in a message from someone claiming to be from Publishers Clearing House, head for the hills! The scammers will take the account numbers from this card, cash the money you spent on it, and never award you the prize, because there never was a real prize — they are scammers.
There you have it folks. These are just a few ways you can spot PCH scams! 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!
Stay safe everyone!
Laura Wolfe @ PCH
