Publishers Clearing House scam: real prizes never come with a fee
Someone calls, texts or messages you on Facebook to say you've won a Publishers Clearing House prize. There is just one step first: taxes, shipping and handling, a processing fee, or a payment to 'release' the money. That step is the whole scam. A real prize costs nothing to collect.
If you're told you won a Publishers Clearing House prize and must pay taxes, shipping or a "processing fee" to collect it, it's a scam. The real PCH says it never asks anyone to pay to enter or claim a prize, and its Prize Patrol delivers major prizes in person, unannounced. Hang up and don't pay.
How the PCH impostor scam works
The FTC has warned about Publishers Clearing House impostors since at least 2018 and described the current version in December 2023 and again in March 2026: the caller says you've won "a boatload of money", tells you to act now, and asks for a fee before the prize can be paid out. One version says the winnings are waiting at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York; they aren't. The FTC's rule is short: if there's a charge, it's a scam. No real sweepstakes company demands money for a prize, and tax on genuine winnings is settled with the IRS after you receive them, never paid to the caller up front.
| The real Publishers Clearing House | The impostor | |
|---|---|---|
| How you hear | Major prizes are delivered in person by the Prize Patrol, with no advance notice | A phone call, a text, or a Facebook friend request or message |
| Fees | Never: no purchase or payment to enter or to claim | Taxes, shipping, processing or a "release" fee first |
| Payment method | Nothing to pay | Wire transfer, gift cards, payment app, cryptocurrency |
| Checks | A real prize check has no strings attached | A check you must deposit and partly send back; it bounces later |
| Verifying | PCH's own site and scam-report page | The number or link the caller gives you |
The fake-check version costs you twice. A check can "clear" and still bounce days later. If you deposited a prize check and wired part of it back as instructed, the bank reverses the deposit and the money you sent is gone. Treat any prize that asks for money back as a scam, however real the check looks.
What to do
- Hang up, or don't reply. Don't call the number back or press 1.
- Never pay anything to collect a prize: not taxes, not shipping, not a processing fee.
- Want to check? Use contact details you find yourself. PCH keeps its own scam-report page; don't use a number or link the caller gave you.
- On Facebook, ignore friend requests and private messages from accounts claiming to be the Prize Patrol; PCH says the real one never sends them.
- Report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Already paid? Contact the wire service, card issuer, bank or payment app at once, then follow the FTC's steps for people who paid a scammer.
Got the number that called? Look it up; caller ID can be spoofed to look like a company line. More scams explained: jury duty arrest threats, wrong-number texts and brushing packages.
Frequently asked questions
Does Publishers Clearing House call winners?
PCH says it never asks anyone to pay to enter or claim a prize, and that its Prize Patrol delivers major prizes in person without advance notice. A call, text or social-media message announcing a win and asking for anything first is an impostor.
Do you have to pay taxes before collecting a sweepstakes prize?
No. A real sweepstakes never collects taxes, shipping or processing fees before paying out. Tax on genuine winnings is settled with the IRS after you receive the prize. The FTC's rule: if there's a charge, it's a scam.
I received a check from Publishers Clearing House. Is it real?
PCH does mail real checks for smaller prizes, with nothing to do in return. A check that comes with instructions to deposit it and send part of the money back is the fake-check scam: the check bounces after it seems to clear and you owe the bank what you sent.
How does the real Prize Patrol notify winners?
For major prizes, in person at your door. PCH says the real Prize Patrol never sends friend requests, private messages or winner notifications on Facebook, so accounts doing that are impostors.
The caller ID showed a company number. Does that make it real?
No. Caller ID can be spoofed to display any number. Judge the call by what it asks for: a request to pay anything to collect a prize ends the question.
What if I already paid a prize scammer?
Contact the wire service, gift-card issuer, bank or payment app immediately and ask to stop or reverse the payment, report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, and follow the FTC's steps for people who paid a scammer. Don't pay a second 'fee' to recover the first.
Sourced from the official NANPA (North American Numbering Plan Administrator) numbering database, current as of October 21, 2026. Refreshed monthly.