Menu
CB Unsolicited Phone Calls Review of PPI / Publishers Clearinghouse Sweepstakes - (954) 724-9490
PPI / Publishers Clearinghouse Sweepstakes - (954) 724-9490

PPI / Publishers Clearinghouse Sweepstakes - (954) 724-9490 review: Non stop hang up phone calls 27

L
Author of the review
12:00 am EDT
Featured review
This review was chosen algorithmically as the most valued customer feedback.

I have been getting at least 15 calls per day from phone number [protected] , and they were hanging up on the first ring. When I call the number back, I get the same thing "mail box is full"! They did just call again (for the 3rd time in less than an hour) and I did finally get some one, it is publishing clearing house! I have been asked to be removed from their list, and not to call again. If they so choose to call, I will be reporting them to the Attorney Generals office, and the BBB. I do believe you can also report them on the www.donotcalllist.com. I do know that their telephone number is listed with South Central Bell, in Florida.

27 comments
F
F
frugal3
, US
Nov 04, 2016 6:51 pm EDT

I received a similar call saying I should wire $325. to Annie Henry in Whiteside, Tennessee.When received, the Marshals and I would go to my bank and deposit the 2.5 million in my account. I told him I would give them $325.cash when they show up with the money. He said NO. Never send money by wire, It is a scam.You cannot lose something you never had! Be wise.Keep your money. Refuse theircalls!

J
J
j_berend
Shoreline, US
Apr 07, 2010 3:24 pm EDT

From my understanding, no one has to pay a fee of any kind should they be awarded on PCH.

My complaints... Merchandise is priced way too high. Same for S&H. There is very little on therer as to merchandise that anyone would want. IF I don't order, I resent the pressure to take another look.

I have difficulty following their various sites sometimes. They need a diagram to show us how with each site they send via email. Perhaps they hope we will err so they can eliminate many entries. Not sure as to that.

Many or most of the above letters involve fraud or a scam. Publishers Clearing House or PCH is the only one anyone should accept as legitimate. For get the rest. The con artists are out there in droves, so be aware...

J
J
j_berend
Shoreline, US
Apr 07, 2010 3:15 pm EDT

It is my understanding that PCH does not request any money should one win th eir Sweepstakes or prizes. Most of the above letters represent fraud, but not due to PCH.

My compaint with them is two-fold, one being that their merchandise is priced way to high and the same for the charges for shipping. The other is that I find it difficult sometimes to navigate their site. When one has the appropriate number of entries for the day, they should be told before going through the process agzin, only to be told to return tomorrow. Another thing is that if one tries to leave, we are told our entry does not qualify, but it never tells us where to go next.

PCH needs to diagram their miscellaneous sites as to how t navigate them Perhaps they don't because they can elimnate lots of entries due to not following properly. I went back to sending in entries after a long absence, but they now say I have only been on there for one year and ignore al of my past entries when I was young and foolish and ordered magazines, etc. from them.

Too, I have noticed that they hooked me by using my initials as to who would win in my area. How could they know that so early in the game They now say it is possible that someone with my initials could win. For anyone with half a cell, their site leaves lots of skepticism

F
F
floridamel
ft lauderdale, US
Nov 04, 2009 9:31 pm EST

Whomever was the brilliant idiot that placed my personal information on this site and claims that I am the person that is tied to this company and thier annoying telephone calls should have done better homework.. My name is Melissa Sentz and I live in Ft. Lauderdale Florida, , there are 2 Melissa Sentz's in South Florida.. We are not related! You, Mr. Brilliant, posted info on the wrong one! People are calling and threatening my Elderly Father in Pennsylvania! Thank you so much for your careless post .. I have advised my father to report any harrassing calls to the police.

B
B
BJMass
Conway, US
Jul 27, 2009 4:23 pm EDT

Many are apparently fake. What bugs me is that PCH sells all these neat things and tell you that you can pay i.e. 4 payments of $10.00. When you get the bill most times the S&H is more then the item. Well, I sent the lst pmt of $10.00 now my next bill wants the balance this payment. What happened to 4 payments?. Has anyone else had this problem?

RJMassey

T
T
Timothy L. Nelson
Saint Marys, US
Jul 08, 2009 11:39 pm EDT

I received a check from Bristol West Insurance Group for $4820.90 & they (a woman) said I could deposit it in my account. Also, she said I had won $86, 455.00, by calling her I supposedly had activated my claim. So just call her back when I cash the check. I sure needed that money but I guess it is just another terrible, heartbreaking scam. The sweepstakes draw from Publishers Clearing House, held June 29th. Ph# [protected]. The fake address used for PCH-1125 Cornell Ave. Atlanta Ga. 33412. Fake tel./fax: [protected]. I guess these people are above the law & can't be touched or stopped. But they sure won't hesitate to jail our ### for cashing these checks, as if we knew they were fake. My God help us all, since the police won't.

S
S
snook
Charlotte, US
May 13, 2009 12:03 am EDT

It seems that they will take the $199 fee out of your check. U never know though. If it is true then maybe we will all have faith again

T
T
Terry Tanner
,
Nov 11, 2008 12:17 pm EST

I just recieved a call saying I was the second place winner from Publishing Clearing House. They request ed me to wirer 199.00 to Mr. Domaine Smith in Jamacia for delivery and want me to wirer this through western union today. When recieved they would have a Attorney & 2 Marshals come to my house and we are to go to my Bank to deposit the 1.5 Million in my account. This sounds fishy. Is this the procedure or is this Fraud. Waiting a reply!

D
D
Deborah Herrera
,
Aug 13, 2008 12:16 pm EDT

I, on several occasions have been notified that I won $1.5 milon and all I have to do is file my identy with them and of course there is a fee. Well I get mail everyday and the fee tends to rise each time. How can I stop this? They're fraudulent, misleading, and whats happend to the law s in the United States?
Nevertheless, I trusted their written statements and at first paid the fees. I looked up this "reporting Division and found no listing through Consumers Affairs. I feel so betrayed !
The name and PO Box "this time" is
Sam Martin
Actual Issuing Prize Review, Accounting of Prize Issuing Full Amounts
P. O. Box 9214
Old Bethpage, New York [protected]

S
S
Sarah
,
Jun 20, 2008 7:23 am EDT

I don't know if anyone has corrected you on this already, but the website is donotcall.gov for the do not call list. I just added my family's number yesterday and am, unfortunately, still receiving calls.

P
P
pai
,
Jun 19, 2008 5:49 pm EDT

I have received a check from new natalie's bridals atlanta ga 30318, on regions bank georgia, for 2, 986 dollars. I thin
it is fake.

P
P
PAULINE
,
May 21, 2008 9:27 am EDT

WHY IS PUBLISHER'S CLEARING HOUSE DOING THIS TO PEOPLE? WHY ARE THEY SCAMMING PEOPLE SAYING THE NEXT WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED ON NBC ON FEBRUARY 29, 2008 AND NOW IT'S MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND (MAY 24, 2008). WHY ARE THEY USING THE SAME SWEEPSTAKES NUMBER 1170? WHERE IS ED MCMAHON IN THIS? IF THEY ARE GOING TO ANNOUNCE A WINNIER EVERY YEAR LIKE THEY SAY, WHY AREN'T THEY? DO DREAMS REALLY COME TRUE WITH THIS COMPANY OR ARE THEY MAKING THEMSELVES RICH WHILE MAKING OTHERS POOR?

J
J
John Q Public
,
May 14, 2008 1:36 pm EDT

Here is what I've been able to find on the internet about this company and it's owner Melissa Sentz.

Disclaimer:
All of this data was compiled through through Internet searches of public records. No guarantee is made regarding accuracy of completeness of this data. This data is provided for informational purposes only.

Name: Melissa Sentz
Age: 37

Current and Past Business Names:
Personal Periodicals
PPI Magazine
Publisher's Sweepstakes
Community Reading Club of Tamarac

Current and Past Business Phone Numbers:
[protected]
[protected]
[protected]

Current and Past Business Addresses:
6331 West Commerical Blvd Fort Lauderdale FL [protected]
P.O. Box 26778. Tamarac FL 33220
7893 Hampton Blvd Pompano Beach FL

Possible Business Associates:
Joan Boner
Victor Fernandez
Joan Fernandez (ne Mroskey)
James Boner
Beanca Fernandez

Current and Past Home Addresses:
256 9TH St Pompano Beach FL 33060
PO BOX 10927 Pompano Beach FL 33061
397 48TH St Fort Lauderdale FL 33307
309 Reber St Wernersville PA 19565
138 Robeson St Reading PA 19601
397 48TH St Fort Lauderdale FL 33309
PO Box 107 Wernersville PA 19565
401 Lancaster Ave Apt B Reading PA 19607
115 College Ave Wernersville PA 19565
1127 Locust St Reading PA 19604
69 Tuckerton Rd Apt C Reading PA 19605
PO BOX 23336 Fort Lauderdale FL 33307

Property Ownership Summary
Address: 256 9TH ST POMPANO BEACH FL 33060
Parcel Number: [protected]
Legal Description: LYONS PARK 33-28 B LOT 3 BLK 4
Land Use: SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL
Sale Price: $144, 000
Sale Date: 2007
Year Built 1963

Possible Neighbours:
Randall Simpson 251 SW 9th St Pompano Beach FL [protected]
John Woessner 261 SW 9th St Pompano Beach FL [protected]
Elizabeth Humeny 242 SW 9th St Pompano Beach FL [protected]
David O'Connell 270 SW 9th St Pompano Beach FL [protected]

Criminal Record:
NONE
Except for a speeding ticket in 2004. She was going 83 in a 65 zone.

Possible Relatives:
Carl N Sentz (father) 115 East College Ave Wernersville PA [protected]
Karen L. Sentz (step-mother) deceased in Dec. 14 2002
Stacy Jo Gaughan/Stenz (sister) 7501 142nd Ave Lot 729 Largo FL 33771
Joan Boner (ne Sentz) 2197 Northeast 61st Court Fort Lauderdale FL 33308

M
M
marlene morales
,
May 12, 2008 5:16 pm EDT

I also recieved a check today saying they were from readers digest/publishers clearinghouse. The letter along with it said everything just like you said, to deposit the check in my bank and then withdraw the funds the next day and send them in for processing fees and taxes.The check really did look legit, with security watermarks and all.Well, I did go deposit it into my bank and they told me it would not be deposited into my account until it cleared.Thank God they said that, because when i got home I started looking it all up on the internet and found out that there is a bank with that name and routing number.But...no account number to match.Needless to say I have called my bank to hold the check fo me to pick up. Which I will then turn over to the correct law enforcement agency. So everyone beware, these scam artist are getting really good at this and they need to be stopped.

P
P
pj
,
May 11, 2008 4:58 pm EDT

My letter was from 'Readers Digest, Publishers Clearing House sweepstakes & lotto'. A check for $2850.00 and letter saying I've won $50, 000. Reading the letter is so important. Here's the clue. It states: Please use this check to pay for the processing fee. Now let's see...I deposit this check and 10 days later it will be found to be fraud. By the way, I worked as a fraud officer for a major bank for 15 years and that check would be deposited without any questions asked. As much as we'd all like to win $50K and believe good things like this happen out of the blue, we must be real. Winning means winning. If I really won, take your processing fees out of that and give me the rest. Have you ever seen a Publishers Clearing House commercial where the winner yells, "I just won 10 million dollars minus a processing fee from Publishers Clearing House!" That's right. It doesn't work like that. Be on your toes people. But, keep dreaming because good things DO happen!

S
S
Shannon
,
May 07, 2008 6:11 pm EDT

I received a letter along with a check stating that I had won 50, 000 dollars from publishers clearing house. Usually I would be like whatever but the check looked legit. So I thought ok I'll deposit in my bank and see if it goes through. It was deposited to my account and so I called the number on the paper and she told me to withdrawal the money and wire it to such and such. I figured that sense it was deposited to my account it must be a valid check. So I did everything she told me and today I got a call from my bank stating the check was fraud. Yeah my bank is apparently really stupid. I asked her why it was issued to my account then and she said that it was put to my account but can take up to ten days to process. Granted after I pay the 4, 450 dollars back to my bank I will be switching banks. I have contacted my local police station to make them aware of this but they dont seem like they want to do much so I'm doing research of my own. The reason I am posting this is because I dont want others to fall victim. So if you receive a letter from L.I.C financial claiming this please contact your local police station so we can get these people put in prison. The main reason I believed it was because a) the money did show up on my account... which is yes my banks fault b) because I had actually tried for the publishers clearing house thing c) because the lady was very believable. I know this makes me look more dumb then anything but I don't find myself that stupid and know there maybe worse then me. Please pass this info along

P
P
Paula Wesley
,
May 05, 2008 9:23 am EDT

I recently recieved a final notice bill for T V GUIDE, but I have not ordered or recieved tv guide.

R
R
rosemarie hunt
,
Apr 27, 2008 5:47 pm EDT

I have also been recieving mail stating that the prize patrol will be visiting my viewing area, and also recieved a card that says to call on a certain day to hear who the winner will be. It even states the time to call, I hope that this company is not a hoax because I believed in it.

R
R
rosemarie hunt
,
Apr 27, 2008 5:38 pm EDT

I have also ordered a few items from this company and they are not what I expected. I look for quality when I buy merchandise, but the products are not up to my standards. Don't know at this point if I will purchase anything else.

Y
Y
youlicia joseph
,
Apr 13, 2008 6:54 am EDT

dear publisherclearing house .my name is youlicia joseph and am a member or customer of your purchase .i have a problem with a purchase that i made.on the 10 of april i got a call to recieve magazines and a womans watch and the cost was 62 40 for the package .i would like to cancel my order with the watch and the magazines .that would alot to me if you would cancel it am sorry for the inconvence i gave so thank u

D
D
Dawana Fant
,
Apr 12, 2008 6:48 pm EDT

I have recieved an e-mail from the Pubilshers Clearing House stating that I had won an online drawing from my web address in the amount of 56, 000.00 pounds. I too was asked to notify a Mr. Kelly Edwards by e-mail and phone for my prize. I am devastated to have read that this same person has sent the same e-mail to others for prize notification and to hear that this is a joke. People out here are stuggling to survive and make ends meet. My family and I are in desperate needs for money and to have recieved this e-mail was our sign from God. What a cruel world we live in.

J
J
Jay
,
Mar 03, 2008 8:20 am EST

THIS IS NOT "PUBLISHERS CLEARINGHOUSE SWEEPSTAKES". I HAVE SPOKEN TO THEM TWICE AND BOTH TIMES THEY HAVE IDENTIFIED THEMSELVES TO ME AS "PUBLISHERS SWEEPSTAKES". SOUNDS CLOSE, I ASSUME ON PURPOSE, BUT IT'S NOT THE SAME COMPANY.

I have been receiving two to three calls per day from this company. On several occasions, I answered, but got silence. I'm told this is due to their auto dialer. If it doesn't detect someone on the other end, or thinks it has received an answering machine, it will disconnect. I called the number back and left my number to be removed from their list, but I still continue to get calls.

The other day, I talked to a woman who said she was calling for "Publishers Sweepstakes", not "Publishers ClearingHouse Swepstakes". She wanted to know if I had a preferred credit card and if so, which one it was. I told her I wouldn't give that information over the phone and asked to be removed from their calling list. She hung up on me.

Today I got another call and spoke to a different woman. She gave the same story about "Publishers Sweepstakes". I told her I had already spoke to someone and asked to be removed from their calling list. She hung up on me. I have filed a formal complaint with the Federal Trade Comission. Hopefully they will get the message.

L
L
lori calvert
,
Mar 01, 2008 3:12 pm EST

I have purchased thousands of items from pch and several times recieved items i did not order. Also when entering for the 5,000. a week sweepstakes & not knowing who the winner was on [protected] I tried finding on the internet. when going into the pch winners it took back into a whole other giveaway list never could find any winners. I beleive that I was led on to make more purchases even sent a credit card type card with winning numbers on it. I still don't know if there was an actual winner. Tey even sent a letter stating the hotel they would stay in, the flower shop the roses would come from, along with a list of my local news stations they would be contacting.

I now have little faith if any that any of this is real. I beleive they stage this and get away with it because there name is so well known to the public & have been around for as many years as i can remember. I should have listened to my late grandfather he would now be saying I told you honey years ago that it was false.

Very dissappointed,
Lori Calvert.

M
M
Margaret L. Annon
,
Feb 19, 2008 11:19 am EST

2/19/2008

I JUST RECEIVED AN EMAIL STATEING THAT i WAS A WINNER OF fIVE HUNDRED AND SIXTY THOUSAND POUNDS FRONM THE INTERNATIONAL PUBLISHING CLEARING HOUSE,AND FEELING THAT THIS IS A FRAUD,i TRIED CONTACTING BOTH EMAIL ADDRESS AND CALLING THIS KELLY EDWARDS AT [protected] ,NO ANSWER THEN
I TRIED THE EMAIL ADDRESSES ---PCHCLAIMS 1234@GMAIL.COM AND RLUCER.@SATX.IT.COM NO SUCH PLACE. WHAT A VERY CRUEL JOKE TO PLAY ONE PEOPLE WHO ARE DISABLED AND RETIRED ON A VERY SMALL S.S.
INCOME.THINKING THEY ARE GOING TO GET A PIECE OF THE PIE SO TO SPEAK!

D
D
Dolores Guskind
,
Oct 17, 2007 11:54 am EDT

It took 2 months to receive t he 1st copy of a Word Search Magazine. I have always been under the impression that PCH affords better prices thru the mail than over the counter. However, I've just been proved wrong.. my invoice reads $23.95 for 8 copies. Retail price is $3.00 or less per copy. Where's the savings? I am sending a check for $3.00 to cover the 1st issue received 10/19/07. THIS E-MAIL IS A FORMAL REQUEST TO CANCEL FUTURE MAILINGS OF THE MAGAZINE MENTIONED ABOVE AND RELATES TO CUST ID#[protected] REFERRING TO ORDER #[protected]

REMOVE MY NAME AND ADDRESS FROM YOUR MAILING LIST IMMEDIATELY... PLUS ANY OTHER PERSONAL INFORMATION YOU HAVE IN YOUR RECORDS FOR MY NAME, ETC.

J
J
Jeremy Schmidt
,
May 24, 2007 9:21 am EDT

I have been receiving hang up calls from this "company" for a couple of days now. Everytime I answer, they hang up.

A
A
Ann S. Minter
,
May 19, 2007 11:05 am EDT

I am receiving mail almost everyday from this company with things to buy and this gives you a chance to win millions... I know better; however I purchased a couple of things that I needed which were overpriced and unusable. There is no way to call them listed on anything they send and the thought of sending this junk back is really absurd. The straw that broke the camel's back (using a commonly used term) was receiving things that I have not ordered! Please tell me what I can do?

Thank you, ASM