Accessibility Statement

Beware of PCH Scams on Facebook and Instagram!

Greetings, fans and friends!

As I go through your comments on the PCHblog each week, checking out what fans and friends like you have to say about our posts, I often come across comments like these:

“Someone sent me a friend request on Facebook saying she was Danielle from the PCH Prize Patrol. Is this real or a scam?”

“I saw on Instagram that I won the $5,000 A Week ‘Forever’ PCH SuperPrize. I think it’s a scam but I’m not sure.”

Well, first of all, good for you – all of you out there – for being such savvy social media users, and for questioning what you see! You’d be absolutely right to guess that Facebook and Instagram posts like these would be scams!

Scam Safety Tips

Here’s the deal: if you receive a friend request on Facebook from someone claiming to be a member of the PCH Prize Patrol or a Publishers Clearing House employee, STOP! Do NOT accept the friend request – this is a SCAM! PCH does not send friend requests to anyone, for any reason. You can also actively prevent friend requests from PCH scammers by watching this helpful video.

Let me be perfectly clear: PCH employees NEVER send friend requests on social media, so do NOT accept them. And do NOT engage in Twitter or Instagram conversations with people pretending to be from PCH. We NEVER contact you this way!

Beware of PCH Scams!

There are more to PCH scams than just friend requests on social media. A really easy way to spot a PCH scam is if you are asked to pay or wire money to claim a prize. Remember, at Publishers Clearing House the winning is ALWAYS FREE and there are NEVER any fees to claiming a prize – EVER!

Another important scam prevention tip is to remember that PCH NEVER calls winners in advance! If someone calls or contacts you in any way to say they are coming to award a prize, they are NOT from the real Publishers Clearing House! PCH would NEVER notify a winner in advance – that would spoil the surprise of the winning moment!

I hope these tips are helpful because we truly love our fans and we want you to stay safe. We work super-hard to prevent scams – and if you believe you’ve been contacted by a scammer, please fill out our Scam Incident Report right away!

After all, we want you to enter for free, have fun, enjoy the PCH experience, and maybe … who knows? … even become a big winner someday soon!

Debbie K.
PCH Creative

P.S. If you ever thought to yourself, “No one from my state ever wins PCH,” come back at 12 noon ET and read my friend Matt’s fascinating blog! You’ll never say those words again.

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Comments

  1. Facebook Danielle contacted me and said I want a million dollars a pickup truck and a t-shirt but I have to pay $300 for an activation fee is this true?

    1. Hi Michael, That is definitely a scammer who contacted you! PCH will never send friend requests, private messages, or winner notifications via Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc; we also never ask for money to claim a prize. Do not give this person any personal information and certainly do not send them any money!! Instead, report them to PCH by completing a Scam Incident Report. Here’s how: http://bit.ly/Report-Scam-To-PCH. Check out this FAQ for info on how to stop scammers from contacting you on Facebook: http://bit.ly/StopFBScammers. Please be careful everyone; don’t become a scammer’s victim!

    1. Hello James, That is not the real PCH texting 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. Please be careful everyone; don’t become a scammer’s victim!

      1. I have a question and it is really corresponding with your organization, but corresponding somebodies other ones that are on social media like that programs are grant programs, and now there’s a few of them I’ve already got scanned out of three or four of them corresponding gift cards like Amazon, or apple cards, or Google Play cards, that seems to be their main agenda to get people to buy $150 and even up to even three times as much of that. Your main agenda is to have them buy these Apple cards, and Google Play, and all these different kind of gift cards, and show them the cards and the receipts to the case they bottom from. So they can what they say is to access some kind of database or programs, they have to process your information so they can release the price to you afterwards. My question is with these things be legit or part of the same scam process because I have already been taken in, used and scammed by three or four of them in the past. God knows I would love to see these individuals in a dark alley one night for what they have put me through, on harassment and other things by my own stupidity, and letting them push me so much, and harass me so much, me giving in and giving them information that I do and I should have never gave them. I think information such as social security number, address, corresponding passwords, and everything else corresponding, a lot of things and I’ll never get over and stop kicking myself for doing so. What I have lost and continue to eat going through situations due to these damn people and their efforts to manipulate the wrong time of my life. I should say when I am in the most desperate need of financial help and nowhere to find any thanks to these individuals and what they promised and pushed and shoved it down my throat, and convinced me into doing, have put me in worship them. The one I would like to know is if there is any way possible that I could get some kind of legal help to go after them and shut them down and maybe bring charges up against them for their fraudulent Acts and theft .

      2. Hello Brian, Stopping these scammers is a team effort and we ask that you report all scam contacts to PCH via this link: http://bit.ly/Report-Scam-To-PCH. I recommend you also check out this PCH blog article to see how you can prevent scammers from contacting you on Facebook: http://bit.ly/StopFBScammers. Stay safe and have fun everyone, and be careful of scammers pretending to be the REAL Prize Patrol!