Here at Publishers Clearing House we pride ourselves on the life-changing moments we create for our big winners when the Prize Patrol shows up with champagne and balloons in hand to award our exciting prizes! As most of you should know, we never notify our winners in advance, NEVER require any type of fee to enter ANY of our sweepstakes and NEVER ask you to send money to claim a prize.

Unfortunately, even though we do our absolute best to prevent any type of scams, they unfortunately do happen (my friend and even my own father were contacted by scammers in the past! The good news is that there are steps you can take to make it harder for scammers to try and “reel you in.” The biggest step you can take is to make sure that you NEVER post any of your personal information online. Posting ANY kind of personal information makes it super easy for scammers to contact you and (falsely) claim that you’ve won a big prize!

If you’re wondering exactly what kind of information we’re talking about, here are a few examples below.

NEVER Post The Following On ANY PCH Blog, Website, Social Media Platform (or anywhere on the worldwide web for that matter!)

• Addresses – Trust me fans, the only people you want knocking on your door are friends, family and, of course, the PRIZE PATROL! Don’t ever post your address, a friend or family member’s address or even a work address on any blog, social media site, etc.
• Phone Numbers – Telephone scams are on the rise and posting your number makes it that much easier for scammers to get in touch with you. Plus, you all know that PCH NEVER notifies its winners in advance, so that’s an instant red flag!
• Social Security Number – This one is super, super important! You never want this number to fall into the wrong hands.
• Birthdays – Posting this info is an easy way for scammers to claim they have a great birthday surprise waiting for you in the form of a big prize (which we know would be absolutely FALSE).

So, there you have it fans. These are only some examples of the kinds of information you should avoid posting anywhere online. Your security is our top priority. Knowledge is power so the more you know about preventing possible scams the better off you are! Share this important info with your friends and family and help keep them safe, too.

Of course if you think you’ve received a suspicious call, email, letter or social media message, claiming to be from PCH, please report it online using our Scam Incident Report.

Stay Safe Friends!

Victoria P.
PCH Creative