Hello, Friends and Fans,
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
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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
Hi Barbara! 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.
I got a text today from Paul Smurl. He said who he is and for me to email DanielleLamPCH@proton.PCH. I just wanted to let you know. I did not read about text messages on your list of scams; I did read about Facebook Messenger. It came through as I was playing the game, so that was interesting.
Hi Debi! 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.
I received a voicemail from a phone call. Then I received a letter from PCH with a check for $7,930.00. Drawn on Citizens Bank NA.
Hi Vickie! 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.
I had a phone call a few minutes ago saying they were Dave Sawyer from PCH. They were trying to get me to prepay the taxes on 1.5 million,5000 a week & a $3000 Walmart & Walgreens coupon. He even gave me a badge ID# 35100US. Anyway I caught on to their scam and told them that Dave Sawyer doesn’t ask for prepay taxes and he didn’t sound like Dave .
I got a phone call from Dave Sayer, notifying me of winning $3.5 million and $7000 per week for 1 yr, and a 2023 Mercedes to be delivered by Steve Harvey and Debra Holland. Prize # and badge #. Wants me to call back to set up $$$$ form for delivery. Call back # $$$ $$$-$$$$.
Hi Reba! That is not the real Dave Sayer calling you, it’s a scammer that’s only pretending to be from PCH. Please do not call that number, do not give the scammer any personal info including bank account information, and definitely do not send them any money if they ask. Make sure to report that scam contact to us via the following link: http://bit.ly/Report-Scam-To-PCH. I encourage you to read these Safety Tips too: https://bit.ly/FraudProtection2. Stay safe!
I have received a notification that I have won 2.5 million along with a check in the amount of $9,850.oo to pay so-called insurance and attorney fees. Is this for real?
Hello Gregory! The real PCH doesn’t notify our major prize winners via phone, standard mail, email, or social media, and we never ask for money to claim a prize. Please report any details you have about that scam contact to us at this link: http://bit.ly/Report-Scam-To-PCH. I also encourage you to check out these Safety Tips for some great info on what to watch for: https://bit.ly/FraudProtection2. Stay safe everyone!!
I received a letter & check for $8,900.00. Letter amount was for insurance and attorney fees. Letter said I won $2,500,000.00. It asked to call 1-$$$-$$$-$$$$ (person not available and mail box not retrieved). It also gave a security code – $$$-$$$$$-$$$. I’m glad I checked and found it to be a fraud. Thank you.
Hi Amelia! We’re glad you could tell that was a scam. 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.
Hi Merrie! That is not the real PCH calling you; it’s a scammer that’s only pretending to be from PCH. Please do not call that number, do not give the scammer any personal info including bank account information, and definitely do not send them any money if they ask. If you haven’t already done so, please report that scam contact to us via the following link: http://bit.ly/Report-Scam-To-PCH. I encourage you to read these Safety Tips too: https://bit.ly/FraudProtection2. Please be careful everyone; don’t become a scammer’s victim!
I received a winning letter from Richie Jenkins. It also contained a check for $7650. I called a number: John Young said to cash it, and call him at $$$ $$$-$$$$ after I deposit the money. Is this a fraud? I was told that I won 2.5 million dollars.
Hi Linda! I’m sorry to tell you that’s a scam, NOT the real PCH. The real PCH doesn’t notify our major prize winners via phone, standard mail, email, or social media, and we never ask for money to claim a prize. Please report any details you have about that scam contact to us at this link: http://bit.ly/Report-Scam-To-PCH. I also encourage you to check out these Safety Tips for some great info on what to watch for: https://bit.ly/FraudProtection2. Stay safe everyone!
We just received the same letter 12/27/22 it was a standard letter with no return address and appears to be mailed from Canada.
Jerks!
Hello Ginger, Please report all scam contacts to PCH via this link: http://bit.ly/Report-Scam-To-PCH. Thank you!!
The reason I’m writing is to see if a prize that my mother has gotten it. It’s legitimate it came via mail a check. The check looks to be real but you can never tell anything about that. It comes from Erickson Livingston properties LLC is that one of your contacts. My mother is 81 years old and I think this is a scam but I’m not really sure and because I’m not computer lit I need a little help.
Hi Alicia! We would be happy to look into that for your but we will need a bit more information. We kindly ask that you contact us at your convenience. Our customer service representatives may be reached at http://bit.ly/ContactPCH. We look forward to hearing from you!