LISTEN,
LISTEN, WHO WOULDN'T WANT SOME EXTRA MONEY, ESPECIALLY
AROUND THE HOLIDAYS,
THE PUBLISHER'S CLEARING HOUSE
HAS BEEN SURPRISING PEOPLE WITH
MILLION DOLLAR CHECKS
FOR DECADES, AS YOU KNOW. BUT IS
IT REALLY ON THE UP AND UP OR IS
IT ALL A SCAM? HAGERDORN
SEVERSON SET OUT TO VERIFY
>>. WE GET
>> A LOT OF GREAT QUESTIONS
HERE . VERIFY, BUT THIS ONE
REALLY GOT ME THINKING. I GOT
THIS LETTER IN THE MAIL FROM
PETE NELSON
PETE NELSON >>. HE ASKED US
>> IS THE PUBLISHER'S CLEARING
HOUSE ON THE UP AND UP? I THINK
IT'S A SCAM. CAN YOU VERIFY THIS
>>? I'VE BEEN SENDING IN FOR
YEARS. HOW CAN THEY PAY
THAT AMOUNT FIVE THOUSAND A WEEK
FOR A LIFE?
>> WELL , NOW YOU'VE GOT ME
CURIOUS. SO LET'S START OUT AT
THE BEGINNING. HOW DOES
THE PUBLISHER'S CLEARING HOUSE
MAKE MONEY? ACCORDING
>> TO THEIR WEBSITE, THE COMPANY
WAS FOUNDED IN 1953 AS
A MAGAZINE SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE.
BASICALLY THEY'D SEND
PEOPLE LETTERS IN THE MAIL
ADVERTISING VARIOUS MAGAZINES
AND THE PUBLISHER WOULD SEND
THEM A FEW DOLLARS FOR EVERY
SUBSCRIPTION THEY SOLD
>>. YOU MAY BE LUCKY TO THEN
IN 1967
IN 1967
IN 1967 >> THEY CAME UP WITH UNIQUE
MARKETING IDEAS. YOU HAVE ONE
HUNDRED AND TWENTY FIVE THOUSAND
DOLLARS IN THE PUBLISHER'S
CLEARINGHOUSE GIVEAWAY TO TAKE
>> SOME OF THEIR PROFITS AND TO
GIVE IT AWAY TO THEIR CUSTOMERS
IN A BIG SHOWY DISPLAY WITH BIG
CHECKS AND BALLOONS. AND IT
WORKED
WORKED
WORKED >>. THE COMPANY
>> GREW YEAR AFTER YEAR. FAST
FORWARD TO TODAY AND IT'S NOT
JUST MAGIZINES ANYMORE. THEY
SELL EVERYTHING FROM TOASTERS
TO TOOLS BUT THEIR BIG
MONEYMAKER IS ADVERTISING. ASIDE
FROM THE MAILER, SO MANY
PEOPLE ARE FAMILIAR WITH ,
THE COMPANY SAYS MORE THAN FIVE
MILLION PEOPLE VISIT THEIR WEB
SITE EVERY SINGLE DAY TO PLAY
GAMES IN THEIR VIRTUAL CASINO
>>.
>>.
>>. >>
>>. >> THE COMPANY RUNS ADS WHILE
PEOPLE SPEND HOURS PLAYING SLOT
MACHINES, SCRATCH OFF TICKETS,
BINGO AND OTHER GAMES. IT'S ALL
FREE AND YOU DON'T WIN ANY MONEY
BUT ENTRIES INTO DRAWINGS.
THE COMPANY SAYS THESE DRAWINGS
RANGE FROM A THOUSAND DOLLARS
ALL THE WAY UP TO THEIR GRAND
PRIZE OF 5000 DOLLARS A WEEK
FOREVER SEAVERT. SO LET'S
>> GET TO PETE'S QUESTION HOW
CAN THEY AFFORD THIS? WELL ,
WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE FINE PRINT
FOREVER MEANS THE WINNERS
LIFETIME AND THE LIFETIME
OF ANOTHER PERSON OF THEIR
CHOICE, USUALLY THEIR SPOUSE OR
THEIR KID. SO LET'S ASSUME
A GRAND PRIZE WINNER AND THEIR
CHILD TOGETHER. THEY LIVE
FOR ONE HUNDRED YEARS.
THE PAYOUT WOULD BE TWENTY SIX
MILLION DOLLARS. THAT'S A LOT
OF MONEY. BUT ACCORDING TO THE
COMPANY, THEY BRING NEARLY
A BILLION DOLLARS A YEAR. SO
A 26 MILLION DOLLAR GRAND PRIZE
IS JUST A DROP IN THE BUCKET.
>> SO LET'S GET TO THE NEXT PART
OF PETE'S QUESTION. DOES ANYONE
ACTUALLY WIN OR IS IT ALL JUST
AN ACT? WELL , JUST ASK MARY
BETH FROM MINNEAPOLIS
>>. IT'S HONEST TO GOODNESS
REAL. SHE
REAL. SHE
REAL. SHE >> WON 100000 WHEN
THE PUBLISHER'S CLEARING HOUSE
SHOWED UP AT HER FRONT DOOR BACK
IN JANUARY
IN JANUARY >> LAGOE
>> LAGOE
>> LAGOE >> AND SHE CAN VERIFY THE CHECK
IS REAL. IT'S SITTING IN HER
BANK ACCOUNT RIGHT NOW.
>> JUST LIKE YOU SEE ON TV AND I
JUST SCREAMED WITH NO WAY. SHE
SAYS
SAYS
SAYS >>
SAYS >> THE ONLY BAD THING ABOUT
WINNING IS THE SCAMMERS. WITHIN
TWO HOURS OF GETTING THE MONEY,
SHE STARTED GETTING FAKE PHONE
CALLS FROM SCAMMERS TRYING
TO GET A PIECE OF THAT MONEY.
IT'S WHY SHE ASKED US TO HIDE
HER IDENTITY AND TO NOT SHARE
HER LAST NAME
>>. CALLER ID HAS BEEN MY
FRIEND. JUST IF WE DON'T
RECOGNIZE THE CALLER I.D.
WE JUST DON'T ANSWER IT. MARY
>> BETH IS RIGHT TO BE WORRIED
WHILE THE PUBLISHER'S
CLEARINGHOUSE IS ACCREDITED BY
THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU
WITH AN AA PLUS RATING, THE BBB
SAYS SCAMMERS TAKE ADVANTAGE
OF THAT TRUST AND THEY USE IT
TO TAKE PEOPLE'S
>> MONEY. WE RAN A STORY TWO
YEARS GO WHEN THIS WOMAN WAS
SCAMMED OUT OF HUNDRED THOUSAND
DOLLARS
DOLLARS
DOLLARS >> WAS MY LIFE SAVING THIS
PERSON THINKING AND I GUESS
>> BESIDES THE SCAMMERS, THERE
ARE A FEW OTHER THINGS YOU NEED
TO KEEP IN MIND WHEN IT COMES
TO THE PUBLISHER'S CLEARING
HOUSE. ACCORDING TO THE COMPANY,
YOUR ODDS OF WINNING THE GRAND
PRIZE ARE ONE IN SIX POINT TWO
BILLION. COMPARE THAT TO YOUR
ODDS OF WINNING THE POWERBALL
ONE IN TWO HUNDRED AND NINETY
TWO MILLION AND THE PUBLISHER'S
CLEARING HOUSE IS NEARLY
TWENTY ONE TIMES HARDER TO WIN.
AND WHILE YOU CAN ENTER EVERY
DAY AND INCREASE YOUR ODDS
FOR FREE, MARY BETH SHOWED ME
WHAT IT'S LIKE TO ENTER EACH DAY
YOU HAVE TO SCROLL THROUGH
LITERALLY HUNDREDS OF ADS EVERY
SINGLE TIME. SO WRAPPING
EVERYTHING UP WE CAN VERIFY
THE PUBLISHER'S CLEARINGHOUSE
ISRAEL PEOPLE DO ACTUALLY WIN,
BUT THE COMPANY IS OFTEN
IMITATED