ATLANTA (WTXL) - Publishers Clearing House isn't phoning you, but scammers are, if you received a call saying you have won a big prize and need to send in a few hundred dollars.
So advises Georgia Department of Law’s Consumer Protection Unit, which has received a number of complaints about scammers posing as PCH representatives.
The scammers call consumers and tell them they have won a big prize through the Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes and instruct them to send money via wire transfer or a Green Dot MoneyPak card.
Supposedly the money is to secure their prize or pay for fees or taxes.
Consumers who comply soon discover that the "big win" they had imagined was a win for the scammer who stole the consumer’s money.
To help you avoid PCH scams, the Consumer Protection Unit offers the following tips:
- Never pay money to receive a prize. Not only is this a sure sign of a scam, it is a violation of Georgia law.
- PCH sweepstakes are always free to enter, and there is never a fee associated with winning.
- PCH doesn’t call ahead to say you’ve won; they notify winners of major prize awards in person via their Prize Patrol.
If you suspect something may be a scam or if you have been the victim of a scam, contact the Georgia Department of Law’s Consumer Protection Unit at www.consumer.ga.gov or (404) 651-8600.
