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Publishers Clearing House scams remain a menace to senior citizens, even after the company’s bankruptcy earlier this year. I know because a friendly, self-proclaimed “man of God” called me last week, claiming to be a representative of PCH. He said he’d soon arrive at my house to deliver my sweepstakes award of “a whopping $5.5 million.”
The man who identified himself as “Agent Paul Franklin” had even more good news. He explained that Publishers Clearing House (PCH) would also be paying me $5,000 per month — forever.
There were just a few details Franklin had to take care of before I could receive my prizes. To convince me to share my personal information, he quoted the Bible, government standards, and mangled, clichéd idioms.
He wasn’t a threat to me, but Franklin and others like him are a serious danger to their real intended victims. This scam targets older adults familiar with the Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes of an earlier era who may not recognize the call’s red flags.
Here’s what you need to know about Publishers Clearing House scams so you and your loved ones can avoid them. And if you’re interested in hearing the actual call, I’ve attached it at the end of the article.
Recording my phone calls with scammers: legal considerations
One of my favorite ways to take a little breather from writing during the day, is to answer my phone. More often than not, there’s a scammer on the other end of the line. These short distractions are sometimes infuriating but frequently amusing.
Of course, the driving force behind taking these calls isn’t my own entertainment — that’s just a by-product.
Chatting with the bad actors who dial my number provides crucial information that allows me to warn you and other potential victims. I like to think I’m taking one for the team every time I spend time engaging these fraudsters.
Lately, I’ve been recording my phone calls with scammers to ensure I don’t miss any details. I live in a one-party consent state. That means I can legally record calls without informing the other person on the line. However, the call recording program I use makes a clear announcement as soon as I turn it on.
The alert is impossible to miss.
In today’s scam call, our friendly fraudster paused politely during the call recording announcement and then continued his spiel completely unbothered.
Warning: Consumers should always check whether they are legally allowed to record a call in their state before doing so.
The Publishers Clearing House scam comes calling
I had just finished up an afternoon run and was settling back at my desk when my phone rang. The caller ID displayed a local area code, but an unknown number.
Me: Hello. Michelle Friedman.
Scammer: Hi there! I’m calling with some wonderful news for you.
I hit the record button and the automated program made its standard announcement.
Me: Yes?
Scammer: OK, wonderful, ma’am. Well, the purpose of my call today is because you is [sic] the first place category winner here at the company. I have a certified cashier’s check that has [been] printed in your name here, pending with the amount of a whopping $5.5 million that you have won yourself here. That’s not all. You also [sic] gonna receive $5,000 each and every month for life from the company. OK, ma’am?
Me: Yeah?
Scammer: Have you any knowledge about this, that you is [sic] the winner at our company?
Me: No. I don’t think I’ve heard of this yet.
Franklin seemed entirely undeterred by my lack of reaction to his award notification. He just kept talking — like we were old friends.
Since it appeared he wasn’t going to identify the company he represented, I asked him directly.
Scammer: Publishers Clearing House, ma’am.
What happened to Publishers Clearing House?
If you’re of a certain age, then you certainly remember the Publishers Clearing House Prize Patrol. It was PCH’s roving team that would show up unexpectedly at sweepstake winners’ houses and deliver balloons, flowers, and oversized checks.
PCH never alerted sweepstakes winners beforehand that they had won or that the Prize Patrol was heading their way. The surprise nature of the award presentation was half the fun.
However, in recent years, those public displays dwindled, and things took a dark turn for Publishers Clearing House. To say that 2025 was not a good year for the company is an understatement.
First, the Federal Trade Commission charged PCH with serious deceptive business tactics.
It all went downhill from there.
The FTC accuses PCH of targeting older consumers
The FTC complaint against Publishers Clearing House accused the company of targeting and misleading older and low-income consumers in a number of ways. In the end, PCH agreed to pay over $18 million in restitution to consumers, which the FTC distributed to people who had been impacted.
That complaint was likely the final nail in the company’s coffin. In April 2025, Publishers Clearing House filed for bankruptcy. All lifetime award recipients who thought they were set for life learned there was no more money to pay them.
As we saw with the Vantage Travel bankruptcy, a third-party swooped in and quickly purchased the assets of PCH. Presumably the most valuable asset being the customers’ email list.
The company, ARB Interactive, a digital gaming site, has confirmed that it will not absorb the debt of Publishers Clearing House. Previous prize winners are likely out of luck. The PCH website now appears to be morphing into an online gaming platform.
Publishers Clearing House, the once well-respected and beloved company, in effect, does not exist. That appears to have opened a whole new cottage industry for scammers.
But let’s get back to my scam call from Agent Paul Franklin.
My competitors in this PCH scam: 480 senior citizens
After Franklin confirmed that no one else had awarded my $5.5 million to me yet, he pressed forward with his script.
Scammer: Well, you were selected in the first-place category this year because your name [is] always going around. You were selected out of 480 senior citizens in the United States of America.
Me: Did you say it was just senior citizens that were in this pool of people that were up for this award?
Scammer: Yes, exactly. 485 senior citizens in the United States of America.
Me: Hmm… ok.
Apparently, five new “competitors” joined the scam between the start of the call and this moment.
Scammer: Yes, and you were selected as the first-place category winner. Ok?
Me: Ok, sounds good.
This scammer is a “man of God” and not going to “jog my leg”
Over the next ten minutes, Franklin attempts to solidify my trust in him. He shares his “ID badge number” as if he were a police officer, along with my official prize number that he says I must write down.
But I want to get down to business and find out how I can pick up my $5.5 million.
Me: So how do I get my $5.5 million? Do I pick it up in a suitcase, or a wire transfer? Or do I have to go somewhere to get it?
Apparently, I was going too fast for Franklin. I was deviating from his script, and he needed to stay on track. He soon launches into a religion-focused conversation that I’m certain mainstream businesses would frown upon.
He would walk me through every step to getting my big cash award, but I had to be patient.
Scammer: Well, I am your agent, who’s gonna take you to all of the steps and procedures, ma’am. I am not gonna jog your legs because you are an elder in the United States of America. I am here to take you to your steps and procedures. I’m not here to pull your legs. I am a man of God and also a man of my word, and all I need from you is just one percent of your trust.
Scammer: When [we deliver the prize] I’m gonna be there and give you a big hug and a big college handshake, OK, ma’am?
Me: Oh. Ok.
I’m not sure what a “college handshake” is, but I’m sure I don’t want one from this man of God.
The end of my conversation with this scammer
This “man of God” next quotes a scripture that he hopes I will relate to about God leading the way. He suggests that God brought us together, but I’m not entirely sure he doesn’t mean that I am his blessing. His verbal error didn’t go unnoticed by me. It seems I am a blessing from God to him.
Scammer: And I think God sent this blessing above from you. OK?
Me: OK.
Scammer: OK, ma’am wonderful, well I just need to ask you a few questions. With a government stamp of approval, I just want you to know [about the] PKY form. I need to ask you a few questions to fill out your PKY form and I just want you to know that this call has been recorded for security purposes so you can feel comfortable.
This call had already gone on for 10 minutes. I needed to wrap it up as I had enough information.
He asked me about my age and information about my children, which I declined to answer. Next, he wanted my bank information.
And then we reached our end.
Scammer: What kind of job did you do in your prime?
Me: In my prime?
Scammer: Yes, what was your job in your prime?
Me: Oh, I’m a journalist and a consumer reporter. I write about scams.
Silence.
Scammer: Oh, you write about scams?
Me: Yes, I’m doing that right now.
Scammer: Oh, OK. (Hangs up and ends the call)
After he hung up on me, I did some online sleuthing and learned that this scam is particularly popular in 2025. Some victims have lost thousands of dollars with no way to get any of it back.
If you want to hear exactly how this wild conversation unfolded — complete with blessings, ‘college handshakes,’ and a surprise ending — you can listen to the full call here:
Here’s what to know about the Publishers Clearing House scam
Unfortunately, because Publishers Clearing House filed for bankruptcy and its assets were scooped up by a third party, the people on its customer list are particularly vulnerable to scams. We’ve seen it in previous company bankruptcies.
Related: How did I lose a credit card dispute from a bankrupt company?
Consumers need to remember that Publishers Clearing House is no longer the PCH they are familiar with. However, here are a few things to keep in mind should a scammer call you pretending to be from the once-loved sweepstakes company.
Related: Beware the government grants scam! That’s not your Facebook friend DMing you
1. Publishers Clearing House never alerts its winners
In its heyday, PCH never sent its winners an alert about their arrival. But that heyday is over, and a new online gaming company has taken over. If you or your loved one receives a phone call announcing a giant cash prize, hang up. A reputable company will pursue you through official channels if you’ve really won a sweepstakes — or they’ll show up at your door with cameras and that giant check.
2. Prize winners never have to pre-pay to receive an award
Legitimate prize winners never have to pay taxes or any other fees before they receive their prize. Even if you’ve entered a contest and think the call might be on the up and up, if you’re asked to send cash, cryptocurrency, or gift cards to claim your prize, hang up. A pre-payment request is, 100 percent of the time, a scam.
3. Send calls from unknown or unfamiliar numbers to voicemail
If you’re a long-time reader of Consumer Rescue, then you know my 92-year-old grandmother developed dementia in the last two years of her life. That left her vulnerable to bad guys like the “man of God” who contacted me. If your loved one is similarly vulnerable, they are a scammer’s dream. You may consider setting up a call forwarding system for any unknown or unfamiliar numbers.
4. Beware of spoofed numbers on the caller ID
It’s important to remember that scammers can make any name and number appear in your caller ID. Never be lulled into a false sense of security because of the information you see displayed on your phone.
The bottom line
Unfortunately, we know scammers aren’t going away. In fact, based on the complaints in our case files and the calls I receive daily, this unpleasant population seems to be exploding.
Victims of scammers should:
- Report the crime to the Federal Trade Commission (when the current government shutdown is over): Although the FTC often cannot help individual victims of crimes, it is crucial that you report your experience. The FTC publishes consumer alerts based on complaints it receives to raise public awareness.
- Inform your bank: Some scams can be reversed if caught quickly. If you’ve shared personal information with a scammer, it’s essential that you alert your bank immediately.
- Sign up for identity theft monitoring: The goal of many fraudsters is to steal the identity of their victims. Signing up for an identity theft monitoring program can help you cut the bad guys off at the pass.
Every scam I investigate helps protect someone else. If you’ve got a story, let me know. Our assistance is always friendly, fast, and free of charge. (Michelle Couch-Friedman, Founder of Consumer Rescue.)
Need rescued from a scam or refund nightmare? You can reach the Consumer Rescue advocacy team through this button. Remember: It’s okay to ask for help!
