If you think you were contacted by a scammer claiming to be from Publishers Clearing House, please read this blog for important information, then report it using our online scam form.
Every day we strive to make sure that all of our fans have a fun, enjoyable and safe experience anytime they interact with Publishers Clearing House. When we hear about scams using our company name, we want to do everything we can to help keep you safe and informed.
Unfortunately, with all of the technology available today, scammers have become pretty creative with the many ways they present themselves and contact unsuspecting victims. Sometimes the scams can be so easy to spot, but other times it can really be a challenge.
In fact, just the other day, one of my best friends was contacted by a scammer! She reached out to me via text message and provided the fraudulent name and email address of the scammer. Of course, she wanted to know if the information looked familiar. When I said no, she replied back to me saying “I think I was just contacted by a PCH scammer!” I immediately had her forward the email and sure enough, it was!
So how did the scammer do it? Well, my friend was contacted via email with the subject line “PCH Winner Notification With Ref#…” to let her know she had won a major prize. The body of the email asked her to provide her name, address and phone number to the fiduciary agent!
Those of you who read the PCH Blog regularly might have already spotted some red flags with this situation. Any guesses?
If your answer was that Publishers Clearing House never contacts winners via email to let them know they’ve won a major prize from Publishers Clearing house, then you are correct! As you know, the only way our big winners find out if they’ve won a major prize is when the Prize Patrol shows up at their doorstep! This goes for social media too – remember, we never send our winners messages on Facebook or Instagram to them know they’ve won.
There are also other telltale signs from my friend’s story, such as the scammer asking for personal information. Plus the use of “non PCH language” – like a “Ref#”. Remember, the REAL PCH will NEVER ask you for any of this information. So please, protect yourself and NEVER give out any of your personal information such as names, addresses, phone numbers or bank information.
In my friend’s case, she was able to send me a message right away, to confirm it was a scam. But what should YOU do if you think you’re being scammed? You can report it using the online PCH scam form. Rest assured, PCH will share your information with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the US Postal Service, and police and law enforcement officials around the country to help these agencies put a stop to such illegal and fraudulent operations.
It’s also very important that you not engage further with the scammer. Do NOT send them money, and do not reply to their calls, letters or emails!
Please, stay alert and make sure you always report it any time you think you’ve been contacted by a scammer! The more we know about new scams, the faster we can help protect our fans!
Victoria C.
PCH Creative
Other blogs you may like:
PCH Scam Warning: Please Don’t Post Your Personal Information!
How Do I Report A PCH Scam?
PCH asking for $50.
Hi Ray! We will never ask for money to claim a prize. We also don’t notify winners via phone, standard mail, email, or social media. Please report all scam contacts to PCH via this link: http://bit.ly/Report-Scam-To-PCH. We encourage everyone to review the following Safety Tips to better protect themselves from being scammed: https://bit.ly/FraudProtection2. Stay safe!
I believe that l am being scammed now or at least until now. I realized it was a scam when they said they needed $7200.00 for some gold star thing. I will not give any money to them . They claim to be Joe Hoffman and Debra Holland. I am located in South Carolina. They want to meet me at my bank tomorrow. How do l catch them?? They need to be arrested. Today is Oct 18 the 2022. They said l was the winner of $2.7 million and a car. l was stupid in the beginning of this scam it has been on going since last Friday. Can we get them???
Hello Margaret! 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.
There is a guy named James best that’s supposed to be an agent saying I won 150,000 using $$$ $$$-$$$$ number and only using texting as a method. I already figured it was a scam so I’m here alerting you that he is scamming again.
Hi Kendrick, thanks for the heads up! Please report all contacts from scammers to PCH via this link: http://bit.ly/Report-Scam-To-PCH. PCH does partner with the Federal Trade Commission and we send all scam reports to them so please make sure you let us know anytime a scammer contacts you. Remember, the real PCH never notifies major prize winners via phone, standard mail, email, or social media, and we never ask winners to pay to claim their prize. You can see more Safety Tips here: https://bit.ly/FraudProtection2. Please be careful everyone; don’t become a scammer’s victim.
Do people ever get text messages “CONGRATULATIONS…!!!
I WANT TO INFORM YOU THAT YOU ARE RANDOMLY PICK AND ELIGIBLE TO CLAIM UP TO $150,000. OR MORE AS YOUR NAME AND NUMBER WAS DRAWN ELECTRONICALLY AND YOU ARE BEING PICKED RANDOMLY AS ONE OF THE WINNER OF PCH. WHICH WAS IMPOSED AND AUTHORIZED IN COLLABORATION WITH CEO/ FOUNDER OF PUBLISHERS CLEARING HOUSE TEXT YES’ TO AGENT JAMES BEST ON THIS NUMBER ($$$) $$$-$$$$ TO FILL UP THE CLAIMS AND REQUIREMENTS FORM TO GET YOUR WINNING DELIVERED” I have gotten this in text message and thinking that I am getting scammed Oddly when I replied back. I got an agent name of James Best. And he sent me a photo of his state issued I.d out of Texas. It’s this some kind of new scam?
Hi Aaron, that’s definitely a scammer. 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!!