Actions

Tulsan targeted by Publisher's Clearing House scam

By: Pete Knutson

Posted at 1:58 PM, Apr 22, 2024

and last updated 2024-04-22 19:31:50-04

TULSA, Okla. — The Publisher’s Clearing House Sweepstakes scam is once again running rampant across the country.

The folks at PCH headquarters in New York were more than happy to see a recent story in which the Problem Solvers warned how easy it is to fall victim.

WATCH that story here:

Publishers Clearing House seeing rise in prize giveaway scams

The hype and the hope of hitting the jackpot, winning all that life-changing cash from Publisher’s Clearing House Sweepstakes, can lead to PCH imposters stealing victims’ life savings.

“They’re calling, scamming,” Tanya from Tulsa told 2 News in that recent story.

Her brother sent a gift card to scammers who claimed he won the PCH million-dollar sweepstakes.

Tanya’s brother was told the money was needed to pay to have the prize delivered and to pay taxes.

“Had him buy a gift card for $299,” Tanya said.

Her brother was about to send more gift cards before she caught on to what was going on and quickly stopped him before he lost hundreds, even thousands of dollars more.

“That’s not real, that’s not from the real PCH,” warns Chris Irving, vice president for consumer and legal affairs at PCH. “The one tip your viewers should know to stop all loss is that if you’ve won a legitimate prize from PCH or any legitimate sweepstakes, you never have to spend any money, pay any amount, pay gift cards, a tax, never.”

The scams are so common that even Irving got a fake letter saying he won.

That letter even included his name, as schemers often use the names of real PCH employees to make their messages sound more legitimate.

“These guys, the scam artists, are pretty sophisticated, they try to say all the right things,” Irving said.

Previous coverage >>> Publishers Clearing House warns of persistent scammers

So, PCH and the Federal Trade Commission try to educate folks about sweepstake scams that devastate the lives of victims.
If you hear from scammers or fall victim, PCH said to contact them and local law enforcement.

That can help them hunt the scammers down and prosecute them, although it’s difficult to do.

“We appreciate your story,” Chris Irving told us in an email follow-up after our most recent story. "We’ve had several calls from Oklahoma viewers who watched the story. All such efforts do help to prevent further victims.”

Prevention is exactly why Tanya called the Problem Solvers about her brother.

To warn others and keep them from falling victim, like he did.

“I just wanted to let you know that and if you could report it, that they are scamming people," Tayna said.

Here are the important tips from the Federal Trade Commission and PCH to remember:

Real prizes are free. So you never need to pay to claim your prize.
Scammers tell you to act right now.
They use names that look like the real thing.
Never give them financial information, and never give them your personal information.
That goes for any time you’re told to pay for a prize, whether it's PCH or any other company or organization.

Scams can be reported to PCH here.