Complaint Review: Publishers Clearinghouse

My dad received a message on his answering machine from a man with a Jamaican accent saying he'd won $850,000 and they'd been trying to contact him. Because of the accent, my dad had a hard time getting the number off the message. I was able to get it after playing it four times.

I did an internet search on the # and found it was a number from Nevada. The number was 702-516-1694. I called the number from my cell phone so my dad wouldn't be charged long distance. The number I called had an answering machine greeting saying I had reached Publishers Clearinghouse but no one was there, so leave a name and number. I just hung up. I told my dad I thought it was a scam and looked up other incidents online about Jamaican scammers claiming to be from PCH and also PCH guidelines for winning and contacting a winner and relayed this info to my dad.

When I got home a few hours later, my cell phone rang with an unknown #. I answered and it was a guy with an accent saying he was the CEO of PCH and wanted to know if someone had called me recently leaving a message that I had won $250,000. I said no, after all, no one called ME. He then asked if I wanted to buy something and be entered in a drawing to win money and asked for my name. I said no thank you, never told them they had actually been trying to contact my father.

He said, no thank you?? I said yes, no thank you. He then proceeded to start swearing and using profanity. He must have thought I hung up because I could hear him talking to someone in the background. He hung up shortly after.

Be weary of calls from people claiming to be from PCH! There are guidelines the real company claims to follow.