# My father was contacted by Publishers Clearing House??? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 18, 2010, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-father-was-contacted-by-publishers-clearing-house/532830 "2010-03-18T01:30:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MannyL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@MannyL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MannyL)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2010, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-father-was-contacted-by-publishers-clearing-house/532830/1 "2010-03-18T01:30:42Z")
He received a call today telling him he didn’t win the grand prize but a smaller prize and wanted to make sure he would be home tomorrow for the van and cameras. I wasn’t aware they gave you advance notice. The ph# they left is in the 516 area code which is correct and the voice mail is very high energy with a name of Jeremy Lomax. I tried googling the name and # but no hits. I will post the outcome ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2010, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-father-was-contacted-by-publishers-clearing-house/532830/2 "2010-03-18T01:33:43Z")
Is the second part of the phone number 767, 883, or 944? ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2010, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-father-was-contacted-by-publishers-clearing-house/532830/3 "2010-03-18T01:40:50Z")
[Scammity scam SCAM](http://contests.about.com/od/sweepstakes101/tp/publishersclearinghousefaq.htm). > [@](#): > > 1. I Received a Call Asking for Money Before I Receive My Prize. Is It Legit? > While Publishers Clearing House sweepstakes are not actually scams, many sweepstakes scammers pretend to be calling from PCH in order to convince people to part with their money. There are two very important things to remember about entering PCH sweepstakes: > > The Warning Signs of Sweepstakes Scams still hold true for Publishers Clearing House sweepstakes. If you are ever uncertain whether a win is really from [PCH.com](http://PCH.com) or not, you can contact them toll-free at 1-877-3SWEEPS (1-877-379-3377) Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. My guess is he’ll get a phone with some lame reason as to why they couldn’t come and asking him for ‘tax’ or ‘processing fees.’ Or someone will show up and rob him to his face. Either way, make sure they get no further personal information and try to get him to tape any further phone calls. ---
**Author:** ![MannyL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@MannyL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MannyL)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2010, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-father-was-contacted-by-publishers-clearing-house/532830/4 "2010-03-18T01:42:50Z")
> [@Green\_Bean](#): > > Is the second part of the phone number 767, 883, or 944? 882 ---
**Author:** ![MannyL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@MannyL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MannyL)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2010, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-father-was-contacted-by-publishers-clearing-house/532830/5 "2010-03-18T01:44:04Z")
> [@Cat\_Fight](#): > > [Scammity scam SCAM](http://contests.about.com/od/sweepstakes101/tp/publishersclearinghousefaq.htm). > > My guess is he’ll get a phone with some lame reason as to why they couldn’t come and asking him for ‘tax’ or ‘processing fees.’ Or someone will show up and rob him to his face. Either way, make sure they get no further personal information and try to get him to tape any further phone calls. Right he said he did not give any account info to them and he did not give his ss# to them. The tools I have access to do show the # as being in NY and a landline. ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2010, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-father-was-contacted-by-publishers-clearing-house/532830/6 "2010-03-18T01:49:08Z")
You can get in touch with [PCH itself](http://pch.com/) and ask for confirmation/denial of your dad winning anything. I have no idea if they divulge info of the sort but going to the legit source seems like a good step. ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2010, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-father-was-contacted-by-publishers-clearing-house/532830/7 "2010-03-18T01:51:31Z")
Did he _enter_ a PCH contest? ---
**Author:** ![MannyL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@MannyL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MannyL)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2010, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-father-was-contacted-by-publishers-clearing-house/532830/8 "2010-03-18T01:52:23Z")
Yes I could but I believe they are closed now and tomorrow is when they are allegedly coming. ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2010, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-father-was-contacted-by-publishers-clearing-house/532830/9 "2010-03-18T01:54:05Z")
This is for email scams specifically, but at least it has a phone number: “If you believe you have received a suspicious e-mail that bears our name or logo, please forward it to our fraud reporting mailbox, [abuse@pch.com](mailto:abuse@pch.com), and contact us immediately at our toll free number (800) 645 - 9242. We will be happy to confirm whether the communication is from the real Publishers Clearing House.” ---
**Author:** ![MannyL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@MannyL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MannyL)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2010, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-father-was-contacted-by-publishers-clearing-house/532830/10 "2010-03-18T01:57:20Z")
> [@Isamu](#): > > This is for email scams specifically, but at least it has a phone number: > > “If you believe you have received a suspicious e-mail that bears our name or logo, please forward it to our fraud reporting mailbox, [abuse@pch.com](mailto:abuse@pch.com), and contact us immediately at our toll free number (800) 645 - 9242. We will be happy to confirm whether the communication is from the real Publishers Clearing House.” Yep closed now ---
**Author:** ![MannyL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@MannyL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MannyL)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2010, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-father-was-contacted-by-publishers-clearing-house/532830/11 "2010-03-18T01:58:20Z")
> [@Alice\_The\_Goon](#): > > Did he _enter_ a PCH contest? I’m sure he as at one point. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2010, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-father-was-contacted-by-publishers-clearing-house/532830/12 "2010-03-18T03:26:45Z")
> [@MannyL](#): > > He received a call today telling him he didn’t win the grand prize but a smaller prize and wanted to make sure he would be home tomorrow for the van and cameras. > > I wasn’t aware they gave you advance notice. The ph# they left is in the 516 area code which is correct and the voice mail is very high energy with a name of Jeremy Lomax. > > I tried googling the name and # but no hits. > > I will post the outcome If your father is near you, be there with a friend or two. If you can’t make it, try to arrange for friends to be there. Tell them what you suspect, and that your father is not to give money and/or any personal information to these folks. It is not enough that your father knows what to do-this is a potentially dangerous situation, and he should not be alone. ---
**Author:** ![MannyL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@MannyL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MannyL)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2010, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-father-was-contacted-by-publishers-clearing-house/532830/13 "2010-03-18T12:44:02Z")
We live in the same house. I was taking a half day off but now I’m going to take the full day off. I called the # from Isamu and they said that PCH doesn’t call in advance and that they would leave an 800 # so my scam meter is pegged at 98% ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2010, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-father-was-contacted-by-publishers-clearing-house/532830/14 "2010-03-18T14:32:53Z")
Only half in jest … Call the local TV station and ask if they want to be there to film a scam going down. Might be fun. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2010, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-father-was-contacted-by-publishers-clearing-house/532830/15 "2010-03-18T14:37:56Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Only half in jest … Call the local TV station and ask if they want to be there to film a scam going down. Might be fun. Better yet call the police so they can catch someone defrauding people if they feel there is a scam going down. ---
**Author:** ![MickNickMaggies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/59ef9b/32.png) [@MickNickMaggies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MickNickMaggies)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2010, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-father-was-contacted-by-publishers-clearing-house/532830/16 "2010-03-18T16:53:51Z")
It is a great big scam. My grandparents got the same call- when you talk to them, they then ask that you front the cash for delivery. All to be refunded at a later date. And if you haven’t got the money to write them a check? No problem, as they can clear everything up a lot faster if you give them a credit card number to ‘release the funds’. And the police are not much interested, as the call may actually come from overseas. ---
**Author:** ![CaveMike](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cavemike/32/16379_2.png) [@CaveMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaveMike)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2010, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-father-was-contacted-by-publishers-clearing-house/532830/17 "2010-03-20T00:41:01Z")
Any update? ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2010, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-father-was-contacted-by-publishers-clearing-house/532830/18 "2010-03-20T01:57:53Z")
Must be too busy _shopping_! ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2010, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-father-was-contacted-by-publishers-clearing-house/532830/19 "2010-03-22T16:51:50Z")
Bumpity bump bump. So what happened? Don’t leave us hanging! ---
**Author:** ![JKilez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e5b9ba/32.png) [@JKilez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKilez)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2010, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-father-was-contacted-by-publishers-clearing-house/532830/20 "2010-03-22T19:27:08Z")
Curious as well… [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-father-was-contacted-by-publishers-clearing-house/532830.md?page=2)