Greetings, fans and friends!
I love reading your PCHblog comments! And here’s a question that I see often on the blog:
Does PCH contact major prize winners in advance?
The answer, of course, is NO. Major prize winners are never contacted in advance. Publishers Clearing House notifies winners of our big SuperPrize awards by sending the Prize Patrol to surprise them in person! Never via email, phone, mail or social media. If you’re a major prize winner, the PCH Prize Patrol will show up at your door with flowers, balloons, champagne and a “Big Check” ― just like you see on TV! Smaller prizes are sent via Express mail or Overnight Delivery.
In fact, PCH Prize Patrol Elite member Danielle Lam has a special video where she tells our fans that major prize winners are never contacted in advance:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ohtq64EmYPs&feature=youtu.be&w=480&h=480]
Now that you know that PCH never contacts major prize winners in advance, you might ask another question I often see in our blog comments:
Someone called me (or emailed me, sent me a letter, or told me through Social Media) that I won a PCH prize – and then they stated that in order to claim it, I need to send them money. Do I ever have to pay to claim a PCH prize?
The answer to this question is NO! You never have to pay to claim a PCH prize, and if someone asks you to do so, they are not from the real Publishers Clearing House!
At PCH we NEVER ask for money from our winners! Remember, the winning is always free! So if you get a phone call, Social Media message or anything in the mail about winning, but in order to claim your prize you are asked to send money – for any reason – STOP! It is a SCAM!
So, to recap, does PCH contact major prize winners in advance?
The answer is: NO
And do you have to pay to claim a PCH prize?
Again, the answer is: NO
Now here’s a question to which the answer is a solid “YES”: Could you become the lucky winner of $7,000 A Week For Life on April 28th?
YES, you absolutely could become our next big SuperPrize winner! All you need to do is enter!
Good luck!
Debbie K.
PCH Creative
Other blogs you may like:
Beware of PCH Scams on Facebook and Instagram
How to Avoid Sweepstakes Scams
Will PCH Contact Me Via Social Media If I Win A Prize?
Thank you for that information. I received a phone call a few days ago that said I was a big winner of Claim #4711. He called from phone #($$$)$$$-$$$$. He ask me if I received an e-mail or letter from PCH & I said, no. He told me to look for written notification from UPS or FedEx. Then I started to ask question like how did you get my phone number & e-mail, he hung up on me.
Hello Janet! Please report all contacts from scammers to PCH via this link: http://bit.ly/Report-Scam-To-PCH. PCH does partner with the Federal Trade Commission and we send all scam reports to them so please make sure you let us know anytime a scammer contacts you. Remember, the real PCH never notifies major prize winners via phone, standard mail, email, or social media, and we never ask winners to pay to claim their prize. You can see more Safety Tips here: https://bit.ly/FraudProtection2. Please be careful everyone; don’t become a scammer’s victim.
Here is a spam number $$$ $$$-$$$$ that said they were PCH. PROSECUTE THEM TO THE FULLEST. Nov. 8, 2022.
Hello Larry! Please report all contacts from scammers to PCH via this link: http://bit.ly/Report-Scam-To-PCH. PCH does partner with the Federal Trade Commission and we send all scam reports to them so please make sure you let us know anytime a scammer contacts you. Remember, the real PCH never notifies major prize winners via phone, standard mail, email, or social media, and we never ask winners to pay to claim their prize. You can see more Safety Tips here: https://bit.ly/FraudProtection2. Please be careful everyone; don’t become a scammer’s victim.
I just received a phone call from ($$$) $$$-$$$$. He said I won 5.6 million dollars. I asked for his name and he gave me his name of: Richard Peterson. He began asking me if I had ever been a winner. I immediately came to PCH site while on the phone with this individual and verified PCH does not conduct phone calls to inform winners. I then asked what he would need from me and he immediately responded, “what do you mean”. I then informed him that PCH does not call winners on the phone but rather in person or mail service. He then called me a Skeptic and said he would mail the notice of being a winner to me. He began to ask him if he even had my mailing address however he had hung up on me.
Hello Dale! 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!
What if we are on a cruise ship at the time of winning? Our son got us a 3 day cruise!!
Hi Mary! PCH and the Prize Patrol do not take awarding winners lightly; it’s very important to all of us that a winner is found and awarded their prize. If a winner is not home, the Prize Patrol will do whatever it takes to locate them. Rest assured, if you are our lucky winner, you will receive your award. On giveaway days we encourage everyone to go about business as usual. With that being said, there are many times that the Prize Patrol has surprised winners at their place of employment. They’ve also found winners in hospitals, at church, even on vacation! Check out this FAQ for more info about winners not being home: http://bit.ly/If-Winner-Not-Home. I hope this puts your mind at ease!
I got a call saying from PCH saying I was the second place winner and I had won a car plus 2.5 million. It was being held at the Federal Reserve Bank in New York. I was told to press 1 and I got Medical Alert services trying to sell me an medical alert device
Hi Cynthia! 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 want to win!
Hi Heather! Thank you for your interest in our giveaways. Make sure you get your entries in for a chance to win. Commenting on blog posts will not secure your entry. To see all of the ways you can enter each day, click here: http://bit.ly/Enter-A-PCH-Sweeps. Good luck to you and all who enter!!
I was called and informed I had won a million just pay 875 00 to register my claim. I said nice try, no thanks” and hung up.
Hello Darlene! We’re so happy that you knew that wasn’t the real PCH who contacted you. 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
My mother in law received a letter saying she won $750,000 and to contact Michael Smith within 5 business days. A check was enclosed in amount of 9899.15 to cover taxes, handling, etc. I’m assuming she will be asked to put this in an account and then pay for those expenses. The PCH logo is blurry and the Visa logo is blurry but the check is from a legitimate insurance company in a town nearby and a bank I recognize (SunTrust). Am I correct to assume this is a scam? I will be contacting the insurance company (why would it come from an insurance company?) and others to ascertain the veracity of this but reaching out to you for confirmation. Thank you.
Hello Betsy, 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!!
got a call from $$$ $$$-$$$$ on September 15 2022 saying they were from PCH? – said no thank you and hung up
called back today – as I was curious to see where it would lead me — BUT I got a recorded message said this is PCH and gave this name Patricia Green
is this real??
Hi Jim! 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!
if winner is out of town will pch come back or does that winner have to forfeit prize?
Hi Terrie! PCH and the Prize Patrol do not take awarding winners lightly; it’s very important to all of us that a winner is found and awarded their prize. If a winner is not home, the Prize Patrol will do whatever it takes to locate them. Rest assured, if you are our lucky winner, you will receive your award. On giveaway days we encourage everyone to go about business as usual. With that being said, there are many times that the Prize Patrol has surprised winners at their place of employment. They’ve also found winners in hospitals, at church, even on vacation! Check out this FAQ for more info about winners not being home: http://bit.ly/If-Winner-Not-Home. Have a great day!