Publishers Clearing House Scams: How You Can Avoid Them
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Although PCH is a legitimate sweepstakes with winners every month, that doesn’t mean it’s easy to win. StatisticsHowTo says the odds of winning the lifelong $5,000 a week prize is 1 in 6.2 billion. Your odds of a one-time cash prize of just $2,500 is roughly 1 in 130 million.
Beware of Fraudulent Emails
San Ramon Police Warn Against Publishers Clearing House Scam - Patch
San Ramon Police Warn Against Publishers Clearing House Scam.
Posted: Wed, 28 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]
If you’re a legitimate winner, you won’t be subject to fees or charges before you can claim your prize. If you’re asked to pay anything to claim your winnings, you’re dealing with a PCH scam. Instead, the complaint charges, consumers enter an arduous journey through pages of advertisements and sales pitches before they can actually enter the sweepstakes.
Verify Your Wins With Publishers Clearing House Directly
Third, receiving a real prize is never dependent on giving money first. This kind of requirement is illegal for lotteries. You have to be able to enter to win the prize without doing anything which would cost money.
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Publishers Clearing House (PCH) has agreed to compensate customers affected by its “misleading” business practices $18.5 million, according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). (read only if sent a check) We advise that you contact your bank to see if that check can be stopped. I told them they would have to pay the shipping and they said keep it. If someone calls you stating to be from the claims department and impersonating PCH personnel such as Mr. Goodman, ignore them. “Scammers are pretending to be Publishers Clearing House and tricking people into sending them money,” the FTC says on its website.
It’s a simple win-win situation where the company makes huge sales and consumers get a chance to win major prizes, and awards. Second, if you are a client of a fee-only fiduciary financial advisor, reach out to them anytime you've been cold-called for money. Over the years, we have heard and learned to evaluate many different appeals for money both from illegal scam artists, legal financial sales pitches, and real financial predicaments. As fiduciaries, we are on your side to ensure that your goals are met.
Major Purchases You Can Fund by Cutting (Unused) Subscriptions for a Year
If you are not experienced, a scam can seem legitimate. This year, one of our clients called us because he had won a Publishers Clearing House prize of $18.5 million and needed to speak with me as soon as possible. Already without more information, there are red flags.
Signs You Didn’t Win the Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes
Just make sure to confirm your prizes by calling PCH directly. Do not send money, gift cards or share personal information with anyone who may not be from PCH. If you are asked to provide your credit card number or provide your financial bank account information in order to claim a sweepstakes prize — STOP. Fraudulent scam artists often request this information and then go on a spending spree with your credit card; or wipe out your bank account. Again, it’s important that we stress you did not hear from the real Publishers Clearing House.
Jory MacKay is a writer and award-winning editor with over a decade of experience for online and print publications. He has a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Victoria and a passion for helping people identify and avoid fraud. The agency says PCH made it seem as though customers needed to purchase a product on the PCH website in order to be eligible to win or to better their chances of winning a prize.
PCH is Fighting Back Against Fraud!
These sites are bogus and are in no way affiliated with Publishers Clearing House or our famous Prize Patrol. The message that you have won a Walmart gift card is bogus and any mention of Publishers Clearing House, our employees, or the PCH Prize Patrol is fraudulent and being used without our permission or authorization. Consumers should not respond to these bogus text messages and should not share personal or private information which could lead to identity theft or credit card fraud. The purpose of this blog and its comments section is to inform readers about Federal Trade Commission activity, and share information to help them avoid, report, and recover from fraud, scams, and bad business practices. Your thoughts, ideas, and concerns are welcome, and we encourage comments. We review all comments before they are posted, and we won’t post comments that don’t comply with our commenting policy.
If anyone tells you you've won a million bucks from PCH other than the Prize Patrol, you know you can ignore the message. GOBankingRates' editorial team is committed to bringing you unbiased reviews and information. We use data-driven methodologies to evaluate financial products and services - our reviews and ratings are not influenced by advertisers. You can read more about our editorial guidelines and our products and services review methodology. Seniors are at a higher risk of identity theft and fraud. Compare the best identity theft protection services for seniors and decide which one is right for you.
First, familiarize yourself with the common Seven Elder Abuse Scams. Knowing how they will try to trick you can help protect you. When can we expect to see a refund of our money we spent over the years??
While this may be the first time you have ever encountered it, they have likely run this scam multiple times. The fact is that Publishers Clearing House will never contact major prize winners to let you know that you have won money. When PCH fans win big, we show up at their house unannounced, cameras rolling, so that we can capture their big moment. PCH will not contact you via social media, phone call, text message, or similar means of outreach. If you have to pay to get your prize, it’s a scam. Never send money to collect a prize, sweepstakes check, or lottery winnings.
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