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Publishers Clearing House scam: the fee is the tell

Editorially reviewed · Last updated September 8, 2026

Yes — this is a scam. A caller demanding fees or gift-card numbers to release a supposed PCH prize is a scam warning. Verify the prize through PCH independently.

Exhibit · Phone call

Incoming call
(800) 555‑0148
maybe: Publishers Clearing House
Voicemail transcript

“Congratulations! This is the Publishers Clearing House prize patrol. You've won $2.5 million and a new car. To release your winnings today, we just need you to cover the delivery and tax fee. Please stay on the line and have a gift card ready — your prize expires if you hang up.”

Illustrative phone call · not an original screenshot

Other versions you might get: The same lie arrives by mail with a fake check to “cover fees,” by text or email about “claiming your prize,” or as a Facebook message from a cloned PCH account — sometimes naming Mega Millions or a state lottery instead.

What to do right now

  1. Hang up. Don't press a key, don't stay on the line, don't give your name, address, or bank details.
  2. Never pay a fee. No gift cards, wires, crypto, or “tax” payments — a real prize never costs money to claim.
  3. Report it. File at reportfraud.ftc.gov and report the call to Publishers Clearing House's fraud page.
  4. Block the number (scammers spoof and rotate numbers, so this may not stop all of them).
  5. If you already paid or shared bank details, call your bank right away to stop or reverse the payment, and if you bought gift cards, contact the card company to ask them to freeze the funds.

Reduce the risk of another scam

Hang up and verify the claim through a number you find independently. If you paid or shared account details, start with what to do after a scam. Blocking and reporting can reduce unwanted contact, but they cannot stop every attempt or tell you how the sender found you.

● Public service · free steps first

Reduce unwanted calls

Start with call blocking and your phone or carrier's filtering options. The Do Not Call Registry covers sales calls from companies that follow the rules; it does not block scammers.

Decide what protection you need

Start with the free controls above. Compare what a paid service would add only after deciding which problem remains.

Compare free and paid protection →

No purchase needed. How we use evidence.

Frequently asked

Is Publishers Clearing House a real company, or is the whole thing a scam?
PCH runs real sweepstakes, but impersonators use its name. PCH’s own scam-prevention page says it will not call or ask for payment to enter or claim a prize. Verify any notice through PCH independently. Do not give sensitive details to an unexpected sender; genuine tax reporting is a separate process after the payer is verified.
I got a call or letter saying I won Publishers Clearing House — is it a scam?
If it asks you to pay anything — a fee, taxes, shipping, a “processing” charge — to release the prize, yes, it's a scam, full stop. The FTC lists three signs of a prize scam: if you have to pay to get your prize, it's a scam; if you have to pay to boost your odds, it's a scam; and if you have to hand over your bank account or card number to claim it, it's a scam. Real prizes are free. Delete the message without clicking any link, and don't send money or personal details.
The caller ID or letter says PCH but it feels real — how do I be sure?
Scammers deliberately borrow the names of well-known companies that run real sweepstakes, and caller ID, logos, and letterhead are all easy to fake. The FTC's advice is to look up the real company's contact information yourself and reach them directly — never rely on the phone number, link, or address in the message. Watch for the fake-check move too: if they mail a check and ask you to send some of the money back, that check bounces weeks later and the bank makes you repay it.
I got a Facebook message or DM saying I won Publishers Clearing House — is that real?
No. A social-media message is not how a real sweepstakes win arrives — the FTC warns that scammers message people by text, email, and social media claiming they've won, and tells you not to respond or click any link, because the link can drop malware on your device. The account will look convincing: cloned PCH profile photo, real-looking prize graphics, sometimes a hijacked friend's account vouching for it. The moment it asks for a fee, your bank details, or a gift-card code to “release” the prize, you have your answer. Don't reply — report the account to the platform, and report the scam to PCH's own fraud page.
How do I report a Publishers Clearing House scam?
Report it to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov — that's the front door for prize and lottery scams. If the fake prize notice arrived in the mail, also report it to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service at uspis.gov/report: using the mail to run a prize scam is a federal crime, and that's the agency that investigates it. Publishers Clearing House also takes reports of people impersonating it at scamreport.pch.com. Reporting takes a couple of minutes and it's what puts the caller's number and script into the pile investigators actually work from.

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Sources

  1. 01Fake Prize, Sweepstakes, and Lottery Scams— Federal Trade Commission
  2. 02Report mail fraud and prize scams sent by mail— U.S. Postal Inspection Service
  3. 03Official security and fraud guidance— scamreport.pch.com
  4. 04Instructions for Forms W-2G and 5754— irs.gov
  5. 05What To Do if You Were Scammed— consumer.ftc.gov

Pass it on

Help protect someone else

If this could have fooled you, it can fool someone you know — a parent, a friend, the family group chat. It's safe to forward, and stands on its own as a record for a bank or the police.