Table Of Content
The truth is you never, ever have to pay to receive a sweepstakes prize from Publishers Clearing House or any other company. 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. Everything from online PCH Sweepstakes entry processing and how to use your PCH tokens, to when you can expect your order delivered, how to become a PCHSuperFan, and how to manage your account.
Member of the Media Trying to Write a Story on PCH?
So do not try to contact Prize Patrol members directly through social media, and be very wary of any requests you get from accounts pretending to be from them. If you prefer not to telephone PCH, you can send questions about potential scams by email to If you receive a scam email, you can forward it to PCH using this contact method, which helps them take action against the scammer. No matter whether a scammer has contacted you by phone, by postal mail, by email or by social media (such as Facebook), we strongly encourage you to fill out the online PCH scam form. When PCH fans find and follow the page, the scammers message them to tell them they've won a prize — and ask for money before they can claim their "winnings." Victims hand over cash but never see a prize. Before you respond to any win notice, especially those from big companies like PCH, take some steps to verify your prize wins. Winning sweepstakes often feels too good to be true — and sometimes, it is.
PUBLIC RECORDS REQUESTS
Logos can be copied, names of legitimate PCH employees can be found on Google, signatures can be forged... You’ll can also find out how to view your entire account online at our My Account Page. And zip code and you can check on your account any time, any day. Check your order status, your account balance, check on the delivery of most merchandise purchases, and make payments by check, debit or credit card. Over the years LA CLEAR has grown in size and scope and is now nationally recognized as a model HIDTA Investigative Support Center (ISC).
PCH Doesn't Email or Call Its Big Winners
You don't have to give Publishers Clearing House your address, PCH account number, bank account number, driver's license number, or any other confidential information when you enter. So if you receive notification of a big prize by any method other than an in-person award, you know you're being scammed. If anyone tells you you've won a million bucks from PCH other than the Prize Patrol, you know you can ignore the message. We update our Winners Circle regularly; more and more winners are added every day! Thank you for your interest in Publishers Clearing House Consumer Affairs!
What's the Best Time to Contact PCH?
If you've already sent money to a PCH scammer, contact your local police office. You'll also need to be extra cautious in the future because scammers consider people who have already been scammed to be easy prey, and there's a good chance that you will be targeted again. Publishers Clearing House works diligently to fight scams, both by working with law enforcement officials and through public education. If you use it, however, you transmit your information directly to scammers instead.
Los Angeles Regional Criminal Information Clearinghouse (LA CLEAR)
Feel free to use any of these contact methods above to get in touch with our staff and have your questions answered. Remember that making a purchase is NEVER required to enter a PCH giveaway and that purchases will in no way affect your chances of winning, so there's no reason to buy anything you don't want. For tips on spotting a scam yourself, check out How to Recognize PCH Scams. If you are unable to identify the appropriate department and need assistance, the Office of Countywide Communications, can direct you to the appropriate department, agency, commission or committee. The California Public Records Act declares that access to government information is a fundamental right of residents. Los Angeles County is committed to transparency and works diligently to ensure that records that are not exempt from disclosure are available for inspection and copying in accordance with the California Public Records Act.
You can also fill out a Fraud/Scam Incidence Report to help them track current scams.
Many scammers misuse the PCH name, pretending to come from the company when they really come from someone hoping to steal your money or your identity. Some of those scams are sophisticated enough to make it difficult to tell if you've really won or not. Remember, PCH never sends friend requests over social media, nor do they use social media to notify people of any major prize wins. However, be sure that you are following only official PCH accounts on social media. Fake Facebook page scams were such a problem for PCH that they shut down individual social media accounts for their Prize Patrol members.
Still Not Sure? Get More Tips Directly From PCH.com
Collectively, LA CLEAR provides these services to state, local and federal law enforcement agencies & task forces within the four counties that comprise the LA HIDTA. This capability has distinguished LA CLEAR as a premier model for officer-safety investigative support. LA CLEAR continues to be at the leading edge in deploying highly trained analysts that utilize state of the art systems and technologies to meet the growing demand for quality investigative support. Do NOT use the telephone numbers or email addresses included in your win notice when you do this step — scammers often include fake contact information to trick their victims. For example, if you call a number in your win notice, you might reach the scammer, not the legitimate PCH organization.
As a fan and follower of PCH, I bet you know all about the different ways to get in to WIN. Maybe you even dream of finding the Prize Patrol on your doorstep with champagne, flowers, and the “Big Check” made out TO YOU. We provide strategic investigative research and post seizure analysis; tactical case support analysis; electronic surveillance and operational support; as well as training and conference opportunities for the LA HIDTA. Those checks aren't legitimate, and you'll be left holding the bill.
Scam alert! Publisher’s Clearing House fake prize - WETM - MyTwinTiers.com
Scam alert! Publisher’s Clearing House fake prize.
Posted: Tue, 26 Mar 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]
In May 2022, Google and Twitter users were searching for answers after receiving phone calls from scammers who claimed to be affiliated with the Publishers Clearing House (PCH) sweepstakes. The reality here was that the company only notifies winners of their prizes by visiting them in person with their PCH Prize Patrol. They never award prizes over the phone, on social media, in email, or through the mail. Additionally, LA CLEAR provides real-time “officer safety” related event, subject/case deconfliction services, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for the Los Angeles HIDTA which encompasses 255 law enforcement entities.
PCH offers a live chat option, which lets you connect to a customer service representative during business hours. Use this option to voice a complaint, get immediate answers to your questions, and more. In 1992, the narcotic trafficking crime wave in the southern California area demanded a coordinated response from the various law enforcement agencies tasked with investigating these and other major crimes. As a result, the Los Angeles Regional Criminal Information Clearinghouse (LA CLEAR) was established. If you've gone through the steps above, but you're still not sure if your win notice is legitimate, contact PCH directly to ask them to verify your prize. But a legitimate-looking win notification isn't enough of a reason to believe you're a big winner.
Please note the above phone number and email address are for reporters and media contacts only. Requests for public records must be made to individual County departments, agencies, commissions and committees. Scammers extort money from you in exchange for a promise of a prize that never materializes.
You’ll notice a blue FAQ Home button on the top of the page on the left. Once you click on that you’ll see a pull down menu broken into categories — PCH.com, PCHgames, PCHlotto, PCHSearch&Win and PCHapps. Note that it can take six to eight weeks to update your name, address, or other contact information.
You can also follow these steps to report a scam directly to Publishers Clearing House. If your prize notification asks for money to pay for taxes, to release the prize, to pay for customs, or for any other reason, it's a scam. We’re happy to provide the phone numbers you’ll need to call one of our Customer Service representatives or the mailing address to write to us, or even how to e-mail us. LA CLEAR does not conduct independent investigations, but rather supports the needs of the investigator and their respective law enforcement agency in criminal investigations. This “all crimes” approach has evolved due to the nature of narcotic enforcement involving poly crime criminal activity. For more tips on how to avoid Publishers Clearing House scams, visit the Contest Integrity section of the PCH website, PCH.com.
Big-name sweepstakes sponsors like PCH are a prime target for scammers, who style win notifications to match the branding of the company they're impersonating. 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.
No comments:
Post a Comment