Protect Yourself Against Scams!
Greetings, fans and friends,
It’s sad to say, but it’s a fact of life that there are people out there waiting to take advantage of those of you who hope to win a big PCH prize. They think they can “reel you in” with phony promises!
Beware of the scammers lurking out there! You never know when they’ll strike, so it’s best to know the facts and be prepared to recognize and avoid sweepstakes scams at all costs!
Here are 3 SCAM warning signs:
Warning Sign #1: You get what appears to be a “friend request” on social media from the PCH Prize Patrol.
Listen up, fans! The Prize Patrol does NOT send friend requests on social media! That’s right. We NEVER send friend requests to our fans on Facebook. Some of you have commented in the past telling us that someone sent you a friend request on Facebook saying she was Danielle from the PCH Prize Patrol. We know that these Prize Patrol impersonators can be quite convincing! Or maybe you saw on Instagram that you won a PCH SuperPrize and thought to yourself, “Hmmm … is this for real?” It’s a good thing you question what you see! Rest assured, it wasn’t real and you could have become the victim of a scam. Remember to look for the blue check mark you’ll find to the right of pchprizepatroldanielle on Danielle’s officially verified Instagram page. That tells you it’s her REAL page.
Please watch this VERY IMPORTANT video from the PCH Prize Patrol that shows you how scammers on Facebook try to convince you that you’ve won a prize, and why it’s so important to be on your guard at all times!
Warning Sign #2: You are asked to pay a fee in order to claim a PCH prize.
This is definitely a warning sign of a scam – because PCH winners never have to pay to claim a prize! At PCH the winning is always FREE. But the scammers on Facebook, and those sly Prize Patrol impersonators want you to believe that you have to pay some kind of fee or tax to claim a prize. Don’t believe it! They are only out to steal your money! We cannot emphasize this enough: You never have to pay or send money to claim a prize!
Warning Sign #3: You are informed over the phone … by letter … by email or by social media that you have won a BIG PCH SuperPrize.
Here’s the real deal fans: PCH informs SuperPrize winners IN PERSON – not over the phone or via email or social media. The best way to award a big prize is IN PERSON and we go out of our way to do it! That way, we can deliver the “BIG” check and capture the winning moment. We love nothing more than to see the winner’s reaction to winning what could be a life-changing prize. We NEVER alert big winners in advance and we always keep it a big surprise. So, don’t believe it when someone contacts you over the phone or on the Internet saying they are from PCH and that you’ve won. It’s simply NOT TRUE!
I hope I was able to provide you with some helpful information to protect yourself against scams, and that you’ll heed the warning signs listed above. In general, please trust your instincts! If it doesn’t feel right … it’s not right! And please be sure to report the scam incident right away by filling out our convenient online Scam Incident Report.
Stay safe and have fun!
Debbie K.
PCH Creative
P.S. Have you been contacted by a PCH scammer? Tell your story in the comments below. Knowledge is power!
