No, You Didn’t Win $10 Million From Publishers Clearing House

Scammers continue to use the famous sweepstakes company’s name to steal from victims

Jessica McMaster,

AARP

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Published March 13, 2026

a figure holds a giant check worth zero dollars, symbolizing a publishers clearing house scam

Chris Gash

Edward Kreis, 68, a retired lineman who makes ends meet with a monthly disability check, was thrilled when an unexpected text message popped up on his phone from someone claiming to be with Publishers Clearing House. He was a winner, the message said.

His prize? Ten million dollars and a new pickup truck. To receive his money and truck, Kreis just had to pay a $400 delivery-and-activation fee in the form of gift cards, which he did.

“I was excited,” says Kreis from his home in Noble, Illinois. “That was a lot of money.”But his excitement was short-lived.

Publishers Clearing House is a well-known sweepstakes company that has awarded prizes for decades, with its famous Prize Patrol surprising winners at their homes with oversize checks, balloons and cameras.

Kreis knew something was wrong when the scammers texted him to say the check was on his front porch.

“Nobody knocked on my door,” he says.

Kreis took the check to his bank and confirmed his suspicions: It was fake.

Reporting Scams

If you or someone you know is the victim of a scam, you can report the fraud to the FBI through the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at www.ic3.gov.

You can also contact the AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline at 877-908-3360.

And the stolen $400 was a serious loss for Kreis, who says he makes only $1,133 a month, “and it’s hard to live on.”

Kreis, who called the AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline following the scam, is far from the only victim of scammers impersonating Publishers Clearing House (PCH).

Hundreds call the helpline every year, including a 95-year-old Michigan woman who recently reported losing $40,000 after receiving a call from someone claiming to represent PCH. The scammer told her she had won $7 million and a Mercedes, but she needed to pay fees before the prize could be delivered. Following the caller’s instructions, the woman purchased gift cards and later wrote a personal check. The money was gone by the time she realized there was no prize.

How and why the scam works

Publishers Clearing House is a household name: The sweepstakes company, based in Jericho, New York, was founded in 1953 and became famous through the years, surprising thrilled winners with life-changing cash payouts. It’s now under new ownership after filing for bankruptcy last year (causing complications for previous winners who signed up for lifetime payouts), but scams using PCH’s name have continued unabated. (The company didn't respond to repeated requests for comment, but has information about fraud on its website.)

Criminals reach out by phone calls, emails, text messages, social media or even official-looking letters to claim you’re a guaranteed winner but need to pay a little something before getting your prize.

Amy Nofziger, senior director of AARP’s Fraud Watch Network Helpline, points out that that’s not how the contest works: “Publishers Clearing House is not going to say, ‘Hey, Amy, you owe $250 to pick up that prize. You have to pay your shipping and handling.’ ”

But sometimes the criminals steal far more than a few hundred dollars. A recent episode of AARP's The Perfect Scam podcast tells a devastating story about Manny Guerrero, an Air Force veteran living in Las Vegas who began entering sweepstakes and playing online games during a lonely period after he’d lost his wife of 62 years.

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That’s why he wasn’t as suspicious as he might have been when he received a call from someone claiming to be with PCH (one of the contests he’d entered). The caller told him he’d won $7.5 million and could receive the money once he paid some fees and taxes. Excited to surprise his family with the winnings, Guerrero wrote out a check for $26,000.

The criminals didn’t stop there, though. Over the course of six months, as they continued to request further payments, the Vietnam veteran sent them, in total, about $180,000 — until FBI detectives discovered the scheme and intervened. “It was my life savings,” he told podcast host Bob Sullivan.

Millions lost to prize, sweepstakes and lottery scams

These scams are disturbingly common. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), consumers reported losing $145 million to prize, sweepstakes and lottery scams in 2024, up more than $18 million from the year before. The actual losses are likely much higher, as fraud is notoriously underreported.

It’s the fourth-most-common kind of scam that AARP’s Fraud Watch Network Helpline has received in recent months.

Red flags

1. Requests for money to receive your prize. “If you’re ever asked for a fee, it’s a scam,” says Steven Weisman, creator of Scamicide.com and a professor who teaches about white-collar crime at Bentley University. When winning a prize through a sweepstakes or lottery, Weisman and Nofziger point out, a person will be required to pay taxes, but not by the company that issued the prize. PCH confirms that point on its site: “If the prize isn’t free — and you’re expected to send some type of payment to claim it, you’re being SCAMMED!”

And anyone who asks for payment through gift cards is likely a scammer.

2. Winning a prize for a contest you didn’t enter.

3. Someone claiming to be from Publishers Clearing House who contacts you by phone or email. PCH representatives notify winners in person or by mail.

4. Requests for payment to improve your chances of winning. Real sweepstakes don’t charge entry fees, and no one can legally sell you better odds.

5. Requests for financial or personal information. The FTC notes that you should never share your bank account number, credit card number or Social Security number to claim a prize. Don’t click links, respond or provide any information — delete the message.