# 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:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2010, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-father-was-contacted-by-publishers-clearing-house/532830/21 "2010-03-23T21:16:23Z")
Plus 1 ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2010, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-father-was-contacted-by-publishers-clearing-house/532830/22 "2010-03-24T12:06:45Z")
Plus 2. ---
**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 24, 2010, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-father-was-contacted-by-publishers-clearing-house/532830/23 "2010-03-24T14:13:18Z")
He’s been logging in… he was here last night at 10:30. I hate it when people do this- they suck you in to their little drama, and then just leave you hanging. Grrrr!:mad: ---
**Author:** ![Oregon\_sunshine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/50afbb/32.png) [@Oregon\_sunshine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oregon_sunshine)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2010, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-father-was-contacted-by-publishers-clearing-house/532830/24 "2010-03-24T14:37:25Z")
Come on dude, what happened? ---
**Author:** ![sandra\_nz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2010, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-father-was-contacted-by-publishers-clearing-house/532830/25 "2010-03-24T14:47:15Z")
PM’d the OP and asked him for an update. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2010, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-father-was-contacted-by-publishers-clearing-house/532830/26 "2010-03-24T15:28:32Z")
Okay, let’s make something up then! Knowing it was a scam, **MannyL** and his dad set up a series of booby traps, and hid behind the couch with slingshots loaded with very angry red squirrels fueled with Red Bull. When the doorbell rang, **MannyL** ’s dad called out weakly “Come in please, I’m too weak to come to the door.” to further lull their prey into a false sense of security… Anyone else care to take a stab at this? ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2010, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-father-was-contacted-by-publishers-clearing-house/532830/27 "2010-03-24T15:47:36Z")
[http://www.newsandsentinel.com/page/content.detail/id/527998.html?nav=5061](http://www.newsandsentinel.com/page/content.detail/id/527998.html?nav=5061) ---
**Author:** ![UncaStuart](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uncastuart/32/404_2.png) [@UncaStuart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncaStuart)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2010, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-father-was-contacted-by-publishers-clearing-house/532830/28 "2010-03-24T16:18:43Z")
Dunno. If it had been American Family Publishers I might guess that zombie Ed McMahon ate their brains. ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2010, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-father-was-contacted-by-publishers-clearing-house/532830/29 "2010-03-24T17:08:13Z")
> [@Wilbo523](#): > > [http://www.newsandsentinel.com/page/content.detail/id/527998.html?nav=5061](http://www.newsandsentinel.com/page/content.detail/id/527998.html?nav=5061) Are you saying that his house burnt down? I’m not being flippant. I’m just wondering as that’s what they story you posted is about. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2010, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-father-was-contacted-by-publishers-clearing-house/532830/30 "2010-03-24T17:16:06Z")
> [@joebuck20](#): > > Are you saying that his house burnt down? I’m not being flippant. I’m just wondering as that’s what they story you posted is about. I think he was running with **SMC** ’s “let’s make something up” plan. ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2010, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-father-was-contacted-by-publishers-clearing-house/532830/31 "2010-03-24T17:22:59Z")
Hrrrrrr… so nothing yet, eh? ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2010, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-father-was-contacted-by-publishers-clearing-house/532830/32 "2010-03-24T17:44:35Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > I think he was running with **SMC** ’s “let’s make something up” plan. Yes, and I can totally see the very angry squirrels throwing flaming acorns at the zombie Ed McMahon and burning down the house. It must have been quite the spectacular show down! ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2010, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-father-was-contacted-by-publishers-clearing-house/532830/33 "2010-03-25T16:42:49Z")
I’ll bump this again. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2010, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-father-was-contacted-by-publishers-clearing-house/532830/34 "2010-03-25T18:22:41Z")
Publisher’s Clearing House came to **MannyL** ’s house and cleared it, apparently. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2010, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-father-was-contacted-by-publishers-clearing-house/532830/35 "2010-03-25T18:29:11Z")
It appears we have a lost cause with **Manny** , Moe and Jack Shit. ---
**Author:** ![MannyL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@MannyL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MannyL)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2010, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-father-was-contacted-by-publishers-clearing-house/532830/36 "2010-03-26T04:16:55Z")
My apologies to all. I have been working overtime at work and have not had a chance to get on the board. So as we stood my father was thinking he was going to be getting a check from PCH. I felt otherwise. I did reach someone at PCH who confirmed that he was NOT on a winners list. I didn’t want to tell him because I didn’t want him to accuse me of “getting in his business” Rather than going to work for part of the day then go to Atlantic City like I planned I stayed home, and left halfway in the time frame that PCH was supposed to come. I had a friend who worked nearby check on the house every 30 minutes or so. When I came back on Monday my father told me that no one from PCH came (what a surprise) and that ended up filing a police report. He wasn’t originally going to but there was a message left on the voice mail from a “customs agent” in “Miami” saying there was a package for him. The police took a report on the phone according to my dad but no one has called him back. So that’s how the PCH mystery ends. ---
**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 26, 2010, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-father-was-contacted-by-publishers-clearing-house/532830/37 "2010-03-26T12:36:05Z")
I’m glad he made a report for police. That’s the only way they get investigated. ---
**Author:** ![MickNickMaggies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/59ef9b/32.png) [@MickNickMaggies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MickNickMaggies)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2010, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-father-was-contacted-by-publishers-clearing-house/532830/38 "2010-03-26T13:29:37Z")
> [@MannyL](#): > > He wasn’t originally going to but there was a message left on the voice mail from a “customs agent” in “Miami” saying there was a package for him. > > The police took a report on the phone according to my dad but no one has called him back. > > So that’s how the PCH mystery ends. Uh-huh- my grandparents were asked to sign for a package. And then got calls from someone claiming to be from the FTC, wanting to talk to them and tell them their prize was legit… Good on him for filing a report. ---
**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 26, 2010, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-father-was-contacted-by-publishers-clearing-house/532830/39 "2010-03-26T13:55:44Z")
I thought maybe you got rich and were too good for us now… oh well, thanks for coming back! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-father-was-contacted-by-publishers-clearing-house/532830.md?page=1)