FTC warns Publishers Clearing House imposters keep coming
- Kim Thompson: Better Business Bureau
- May 5, 2018
- 2597
Who wouldn’t love to be that winner you see on TV holding a great big sweepstakes check? That’s what con artists are counting on when they claim to be Publishers Clearing House. This trick is an oldie but goodie for scammers.
The scam starts with a call or letter saying you’ve won the Publishers Clearing House sweepstakes. But to collect your prize, they say you need to send money to pay for fees and taxes. Typically you’ll be asked to send money by Western Union or MoneyGram or by getting a reloadable card or gift card. Scammers ask you to pay these ways because it’s nearly impossible to trace the money, and you’ll almost never get it back.
But that’s not the only way scammers get your money with this scam. Some will send you a realistic-looking fake check in the mail. You are 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.
Never send money to collect a prize, sweepstakes check or lottery winnings. If you have to pay, it’s a scam. Never deposit an unexpected check and send money to an unknown person, even if the funds appear in your account. That’s a sure sign of a scam. If anyone calls asking you to pay for a prize, hang up and report it to the FTC at www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov or the the BBB’s Scamtracker at www.bbb.org/scamtracker.
To read more on prize scams, visit the Federal Trade Commission’s website at www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0199-prize-scams.
Publishers Clearing House has its own fraud protection page due to its name being used in so many scams. You can learn more at www.info.pch.com/fraud-protection-2.
Visit www.bbb.org/canton or call 330-454-9401 to look up a business, file a complaint, write a customer review, report a scam with Scam Tracker, read tips, follow us on social media and more.