Sunday, April 28, 2024

Publishers Clearing House to Pay $18 5M in Settlement for Misleading Customers, FTC says

publishers clearing house scam

Some will send you a realistic-looking fake check in the mail. You’re told that, to claim your prize, you need to deposit the check and send some of the money back for made-up expenses. But when the check you deposit bounces — even after it seemed to clear — you may be on the hook for the money you sent. Publishers Clearing House (PCH) does NOT send e-mails notifying consumers that they have won a major prize. If you win a major prize in our sweepstakes, the PCH Prize Patrol will contact you in person.

This Publishers Clearing House scam is making the rounds again – but with a twist - WTSP.com

This Publishers Clearing House scam is making the rounds again – but with a twist.

Posted: Thu, 07 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]

Learn how the FTC protects free enterprise and consumers

It is calculated using the information contained in your Equifax credit file. Lenders use many different credit scoring systems, and the score you receive with Aura is not the same score used by lenders to evaluate your credit. With the Publishers Clearing House grand prize, they don't call. You are now leaving AARP.org and going to a website that is not operated by AARP. A different privacy policy and terms of service will apply.

Publishers Clearing House to Pay Consumers $18.5M for Misleading Business Practices, FTC Says

Scammers are adept at making people believe that they are affiliated with Publishers Clearing House when they're not. PCH is a popular target of scams because most Americans are familiar with the company, many have already entered the MegaPrize giveaways, and nearly all want to believe they have really won a prize. No one can prevent all identity theft or monitor all transactions effectively. Further, any testimonials on this website reflect experiences that are personal to those particular users, and may not necessarily be representative of all users of our products and/or services. We do not claim, and you should not assume, that all users will have the same experiences.

FTC Takes Action Against Publishers Clearing House for Misleading Consumers About Sweepstakes Entries

(These offers are not affiliated in any way with Publishers Clearing House!) The letter encloses a real looking check that may appear legitimate. If you receive a check claiming to be for a legitimate sweepstakes prize and are asked to cash it and wire or send a portion back — STOP — you are the victim of a fraudulent contact. Consumers should always remember that at Publishers Clearing House no payment or fee is ever necessary to enter or claim a prize. The client had received a phone call indicating that Publishers Clearing House selected him as a backup winner when the first winner did not satisfy everything.

However, you may be notified of smaller prize wins by mail or email, so continue to read the other signs of a legitimate PCH win. But a legitimate-looking win notification isn't enough of a reason to believe you're a big winner. Logos can be copied, names of legitimate PCH employees can be found on Google, signatures can be forged...

Publisher Clearing House Scams

On the other hand, the odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are roughly 1 in 292 million, but you’ll need to pay to enter. Though the Publisher Clearing House Sweepstakes can be legitimate and Publishers Clearing House itself is not a scam, you still need to be on the lookout for fraudsters. PCH has been running its popular and beloved sweepstakes since 1967 and has awarded more than $315 million in prizes.

PCH is Fighting Back Against Fraud!

Troy woman loses more than $600K in Publishers Clearing House scam - WDIV ClickOnDetroit

Troy woman loses more than $600K in Publishers Clearing House scam.

Posted: Thu, 28 Mar 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]

This would mean that the scammers would have a local money mule posing as Norma Dixon who would accompany you to the bank, receive your cashier's check, and then go and cash it. While this may be an opportunity to arrest this person, it would also mean putting yourself at risk being with this person. Contact your local law enforcement before considering such an action. You should always err on the side of safety and assume that anyone who would perpetrate such a scam would also have no conscience about using violence against you.

publishers clearing house scam

We are constantly warning citizens of this and other scams and what to do and not do. It is so hard to convince some people to not send money. We will even call PCH to verify if their name was picked as a winner.

We expect commenters to treat each other and the blog writers with respect. On top of the fact that all prizes are awarded in person, Publishers Clearing House does not ask that any taxes or other kinds of fees be paid up front for wiring the money or for any other reason. They also will never ask prize winners to help load their winnings onto any kind of a card. Scammers posing as PCH might also mail a large check and request that the “winner” cash the check and send a portion of the money back to cover fees. The check will bounce, and the recipient will be left without their expected prize winnings and may have to pay bank fees on top of that. Recently, I had a woman with a thick foreign accent call me claiming to be from another state's Department of Revenue.

Hearst Television participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. If she deposited that check and sent money away, a few days later she'd learn the check bounced and she's out thousands of dollars. The scam that just won't quit is popping up again, and many of you are reporting it to the 8 On Your Side team. The company has been around for many decades and its legit operations are what have enabled it to stand the test of time.

Thank you, we want you to know that PCH partners with the Federal Trade Commission and the information we gather from you today will be shared with them which is then shared with law enforcement authorities around the country. There are several steps you can take to protect yourself though. To those of us who are skeptical and mistrusting at heart, it is easy to recognize this as a scam. This is the lottery scam, one of many elder scams aimed to separate a retiree from their money.

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