Publishers Clearing House is real, which is why criminals borrow the name. The easiest way to spot the scam is simple: a real prize does not require you to pay money first.
Does this affect you?
Use this for any call, letter, text, email, or social message in the United States claiming you won a Publishers Clearing House prize.
Know the rule that exposes every version
One fact handles nearly all PCH impersonation attempts.
- Real Publishers Clearing House does not ask winners to pay fees, taxes, shipping, processing charges, insurance, or release costs to receive a prize. Any upfront payment request means scam.
- PCH does not call ahead demanding money before a major Prize Patrol delivery. Large prizes are delivered in person and unannounced by an actual PCH team.
- You cannot win a sweepstakes you did not enter. If you do not remember entering, treat the message as fake.
- Check sender details. Real PCH email should use a pch.com domain, not a free email account or a lookalike domain.
- Urgency and secrecy are warning signs. Instructions to act before the prize expires or keep the win confidential are pressure tactics.
- A check that requires you to wire back part of the money is a fake-check scam. The check can bounce after your bank initially shows funds as available.
If payment is required before the prize arrives, stop. There is no legitimate exception.
Verify and report it
Use contact information you find yourself, not the contact route in the suspicious message.
- Contact PCH through pch.com or a verified customer service channel to ask whether the notification is real.
- Do not deposit a prize check that asks you to send money back. If you already deposited it, contact your bank immediately.
- Report the attempt to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov under prize and sweepstakes scams.
- Forward suspicious PCH-branded email to PCH using the abuse or fraud contact listed on its official site, and mark the message as phishing in your inbox.
- If the scam arrived by physical mail, report it to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service at uspis.gov.
- If you sent money by wire or bank transfer, contact the bank or transfer service immediately; there may be a short cancellation window.
More control
Brand recognition is what makes it work
PCH has decades of visibility, especially with older adults. Scammers rely on that familiar name to make an unexpected prize sound plausible.
The prize rule applies broadly
You never pay to receive real winnings. That rule applies to PCH, lotteries, sweepstakes, and prize drawings.
Sources
- Publishers Clearing House – How to Spot a PCH Scam (2025)
- FTC – Prize, Sweepstakes, and Lottery Scams (2025)
- AARP – Sweepstakes Scams (2025)