In recent weeks I’ve awarded Big Checks in five states and have been on and off planes and in and out of airports about 20 times. I also shopped in supermarkets, florists and restaurants. And everywhere I go people see my Prize Patrol suitcase or uniform and gasp, “You mean you guys are real? I thought you only existed on television!”

That hurt my feelings! You would think that after seeing our in-person “winning moments” commercials on TV for nearly 30 years they would believe that we are real!

Then they say something like “Well those ‘winners’ are actors, right?  And you tell them that you are coming, right?”

No way!!!  Those winners are real people – just like you!  And we never tell them we are coming.  If you are throwing a surprise party for someone, do you tell them ahead of time?  Of course not!  That would ruin the surprise!

Now there’s something else I want to share that’s very important.  When the Prize Patrol shows up with roses, balloons and a Big Check, there are “no strings attached.”  Our prizes are always totally free!  There are scammers out there who phone people and tell them they’ve won a big cash prize – but first they have to “pre-pay taxes” or pay an administrative fee of hundreds or thousands of dollars.  Again … no way!!!  At Publishers Clearing House you never have to pay a cent to win a prize!  Our Big Checks are awarded in person by the Prize Patrol (or express-mailed on rare occasions when our schedules are overly pressured — understandable with nearly a hundred deliveries a year, each one worth thousands or  millions of dollars).

I know that you PCH fans don’t need to be educated on how real we are!  Just keep the faith and keep entering every day, and maybe the next winner we surprise with a Big Check will be YOU!

Dave Sayer
PCH Prize Patrol Ambassador