If something seems a little too good to be true, or someone wants you to give you a cash prize but you didn't enter a contest, it's probably not legit.

CANVA PHONE SCAM 2

Remember Publisher's Clearing House?

Growing up in the '80s I remember the commercials featuring a man in a suit surprising folks with a big check. I'm talking like a giant check, that represented a giant amount of money. I always wondered what would happen if you didn't answer the door.

1991 Publishers Clearing House Commercial

Ed McMahon was never a part of PCH. He was with American Family Publishers.

Publishers Clearing House: 2023 Edition

So, you or your parents might remember the Publishers Clearing House envelope that would arrive in the mail. The modern-day version of PCH is online. Unfortunately, there are more and more scammers attempting to trick you into thinking that you have won from PHS. The imposter will allegedly try to get your private information or ask for money in exchange for a prize.

No payment, fee, tax or any amount is ever required to claim or receive a prize in a PCH giveaway.

Better Business Bureau Scam Tracker

According to the BBB Scam Tracker, there have been recent reports of Hoosiers receiving scam calls, claiming to be Publishers Clearing House. Thankfully, these instances were reported and no one was scammed out of money.

Consumer reported to BBB a phone call from someone claiming to be publishers clearing house. Consumer reported Randy Jackson claimed he won 7000 a week for life among other prizes, including a mercedes benz car, and started to ask personal questions. They requested a gift card for $499. 702-416-2591 is an alternate number.I received a call from a fake Publisher's Clearing House rep notifying me that I had won the $10M and a new car that would be delivered within the next hour and wanted to know if someone would be home to accept the prize They kept me on the line for about 3-5 minutes asking every question they could to try and get a "Yes" response from me. (No luck). Then they gave me another number to call to complete the final verification. When I failed to call that number within a half an hour the original scammer called me back and wanted to know if I had completed the call because they had no record of my contacting them. They never once mentioned me by name, did not ask for an address confirmation, or any other information to confirm I was the winner. I only took the call because I like playing along and wasting as much of their time as I can get away with.

Important Reminders:

If you believe you are the victim of an impostor scam seeking money using the Publishers Clearing House name or logo, please provide us with details by clicking here to fill out a Scam Incident Report.Consumers are also advised to contact their local consumer protection officials or the National Fraud Center at www.fraud.org. Whether you enter by mail, phone or email, the most important thing to remember is: NO PURCHASE NECESSARY