How You Can Spot A Publishers Clearing House Facebook Scam!

Hi Everyone!

As you all know, the PCH Prize Patrol is very concerned about scammers on Facebook. Unfortunately, in just a few short weeks of my internship here at Publishers Clearing House, I have realized how many fans are posting on Facebook about friend requests from strangers impersonating the Prize Patrol. These scammers are even telling people they won and need to give them money! I wanted to write a blog to give you all some more information on how you can identify if the person on Facebook is a scammer!

One thing we haven’t done yet on the blog is show you a real Facebook message conversation with a scammer. Well recently one of our fans had a conversation with a scammer who was pretending to be Todd Sloane. This fan was grateful enough to post this on Danielle’s PCH Prize Patrol Fan Page to share with everyone! If you receive a private message like this…it’s a Publishers Clearing House Facebook SCAM!

So how can you be sure it’s a scam? Well for starters, if you receive a friend request or private Facebook message from anyone claiming to be the PCH Prize Patrol, that’s the first indication! The most important thing to know is that the Prize Patrol will NEVER send personal messages, friend requests or contact you prior to knowing the winner of the prize. The only way that you will know if you have won big ($10,000 and up) is if the Prize Patrol shows up at your doorstep. If you do get into contact with a scammer through a Facebook message or a phone call, DO NOT give them any of your personal information or money! PCH NEVER asks for money in order to claim a prize — winning and entering sweepstakes is ALWAYS free.

Another tip is to look at the number of followers the Facebook page has. For example, if someone named “Todd Sloane” sends you a friend request and you see they only have 3 friends, that’s a way to tell that it’s a Publishers Clearing House Facebook SCAM. The REAL PCH Prize Patrol Fan Pages have thousands of fans! If you do catch a scammer on Facebook, be sure to report them, it would be a BIG help to the Prize Patrol if we have our fans assist in reporting scammers. Not only would you be helping them, but other fans as well! For steps on how to report a scammer refer to this YouTube video created by Danielle:

How to Report A Scam On Facebook

Working with the Prize Patrol and analyzing Facebook postings allowed me to realize that there sadly are scammers out there targeting innocent people. I hope this helps everyone and gives insight on what to look for the next time you are contacted by a scammer on Facebook! Please don’t be fooled, and if you have any questions, you can always leave a comment on the PCH Prize Patrol Fan Pages — Danielle Lam, Todd Sloane or Dave Sayer!

Alyssa C.
Promotion Development Intern