Accessibility Statement

SPREAD THE WORD ON SCAMMERS!

One thing you’ll hear us warn you about over and over again is scammers pretending to be from the real PCH. Unfortunately, this is a big problem. We can’t emphasize it enough. So today I’m going to remind everyone how to identify, avoid and help Spread the Word on Scammers!

It’s unfortunate that we have to worry about this stuff, but we do. I mean, PCH is about making dreams come true, after all. Some popular PCH scams include being asked to pay to claim a prize, false winning notifications on social media and fake social media friend requests. Let’s touch briefly on each.

You Never Have To Pay To Claim A PCH Prize

REMINDER #1: YOU NEVER HAVE TO PAY TO CLAIM A PCH PRIZE

The winning is ALWAYS FREE at PCH. If someone contacts you claiming to be from PCH and tells you that you’ve won a prize – then asks you to send a payment or money card in order to claim the prize – STOP! It’s a scam. Some scammers will send a fake check claiming it’s a partial prize reward and that you need to pay to get the rest. Nice try – but it’s a scam. You NEVER have to pay to claim a PCH prize.

PCH Winners Are Not Notified Through Social Media

REMINDER #2: PCH WINNERS ARE NOT NOTIFIED THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA

One of the things we’re most famous for is our PCH Prize Patrol simply showing up at winners’ houses. That’s how we get the best winning moments – by shocking and surprising our winners. If we notified major prize winners on social media, email, phone, letter, etc., there would be NO surprise. Who wants that?

PCH Will Never Contact You On Social Media

REMINDER #3: PCH WILL NEVER CONTACT YOU ON SOCIAL MEDIA

While we’re on the topic of social media, if you receive a friend request from PCH or members of the Prize Patrol, delete it. It’s a scam. Sadly, it’s easy for scammers to set up fake social media accounts and reach out to unsuspecting fans. But it’s also easy to recognize a real PCH social media page. All real PCH-verified social media pages have a blue checkmark at the top of the page. Make sure you look for it.

Report Scammers

So, what should you do if you think you’ve been contacted by a scammer? Report it. Just fill out our online PCH Scam Incident Report. Let us handle the rest. Don’t engage with scammers, just report them. For even more guidance, check out our Fraud Protection page. Here you’ll find a lot of great, in-depth information on this topic.

Well, that should do it. Just keep these things in mind, and you should be good to go. Please share this information with family and friends so they, too, can help spread the word on scammers! Take care and be safe!

Tina P.
Online Creative

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Comments

  1. I was contacted by Peter at phone number 1-973-486-$$$$ and told I had won $3,500.000.00. He sounded like he really new what he was doing. Since you don’t use the phone to let people know I’m sure it is a phony. He called me three times. Is calling back tomorrow. He did not ask for any money and said none was required. The paperwork he sent looks quite real.

  2. I was called and told that I had won seven thousand dollars a week for life and they identified themselves as PCH. Said her name was Debra Holland and my claim number was 85031. Their phone number was 1-929-$$$-$$$$.

  3. I got a text from WhatsApp supposedly from publishers clearing House they wanted me to pay a fee for delivery fees of my winnings I told them I don’t send any gift cards to anyone I don’t know they were very persistent I blocked them, deleted.

  4. Hi PCH. There is a man and a woman calling me every month and every three weeks telling me I’m winner of a lot of money from the PCH, and trying to get money from me to pay the IRS. I am not a fool I know it is a scam, so I thank you all. I never had that problem before like this time so I am very careful.

    1. Hi Yvonne, we’re sorry to hear the scammers are bothering you. 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://info.pch.com/fraud-protection. Stay safe!