Joyce Kelso of Vinita started getting calls, telling her she had won a large cash prize, a car, and a bonus through Publishers Clearing House. There was just one catch: the caller wanted her banking information and an upfront fee to claim the prizes.
Kelso had never entered Publishers Clearing House. Her mother had entered every year since Kelso was a child, but Kelso herself had not. When the calls started coming in, something felt off, so she reached out to 2 News Oklahoma.
"I'd won. A lot of money, a car, and a bonus. But he also said I needed to give him my banking information and pay a one-time fee," Kelso said.
She did not take the bait.
"I was not going to be paying anybody," Kelso said.
Kelso's instincts were right. Back in April of 2025, Publishers Clearing House went into bankruptcy. ARB Interactive bought its assets at auction. Since then, scammers have amped up efforts to trick people out of money and personal information by claiming they've won giant PCH jackpots, then telling victims all they need to do to collect the prizes is pay an upfront fee or taxes.
According to the Federal Trade Commission's Sentinel Network data, prize, lottery, and sweepstakes scams cost Oklahomans hundreds of thousands of dollars annually, with Publishers Clearing House impersonator scams the dominant subtype.
If you hear from someone claiming that you won a prize, but demands that you pay "fees" or "taxes," you should consider that a red flag. Another clue, you're asked to pay using gift cards, wire transfers, or cashier's checks. Scammers prefer those payment methods because there is little possibility of recovering the money once the victim realizes they have been scammed.
If it happens to you, report it to:
- Local police
- The Federal Trade Commission at reportfraud.ftc.gov
- The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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