Checks in the Mail: Publishers Clearing House $18.5M Settlement

If you purchased a product from Publishers Clearing House (PCH) after clicking on one of their promotional emails, you may be receiving a payment from an $18.5 million FTC settlement.

Publishers Clearing House has agreed to pay $18.5 million to resolve a lawsuit brought by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which alleged that the company used deceptive marketing tactics to mislead consumers about sweepstakes entries, surprise fees, and data privacy practices.

The FTC claimed that consumers were targeted by PCH’s marketing campaigns and made purchases under the impression that buying products was necessary to enter or improve their chances in sweepstakes

Who is eligible for a Publishers Clearing House payment?

There are 281,724 consumers receiving refund payments. You may qualify if:

• You ordered a product from Publishers Clearing House after receiving and clicking on one of the company’s promotional emails that the FTC claimed were deceptive.
• You were impacted by misleading claims regarding sweepstakes entries, surprise shipping and handling fees, or deceptive information about risk-free ordering or data privacy.

How much is the PCH settlement payout?

Each eligible consumer is receiving a portion of the $18.5 million settlement fund. Payment amount is determined by PCH purchases made.

No claim form required

A claim form was not required in order to participate in the FTC settlement.

Payout options (how the class members can get paid)

According to the FTC, refund checks were mailed on April 30, 2025. Checks must be cashed within 90 days of the issue date.

$18.5 Million FTC settlement fund

The $18,500,000 settlement fund includes:

• Settlement administration costs: To be determined
• Refunds to impacted consumers: Remaining settlement funds

Important dates

• Refunds sent: Checks in the mail as of April 30, 2025

When is the Publishers Clearing House settlement payout date?

Refund checks were mailed to 281,724 eligible consumers on April 30, 2025.. Recipients must cash their checks within 90 days of the issue date.

Why did this PCH settlement happen?

The FTC’s lawsuit alleged that Publishers Clearing House engaged in a variety of deceptive practices particularly impacting older and lower-income consumers, who were more likely to be targeted by PCH’s marketing campaigns:

• Using manipulative website design and language (“dark patterns”) to make consumers believe that purchasing products was necessary to enter or improve their chances in sweepstakes.
• Sending emails with misleading subject lines, such as those implying official documents or urgent action, to prompt purchases.
• Hiding shipping and handling fees, which averaged over 40% of product costs, until after purchases were made.
• Misrepresenting that ordering was “risk free” while requiring consumers to pay return shipping for unwanted products.
• Misstating their data privacy practices by claiming not to sell consumer data to third parties, when in fact they did share data with marketers and advertisers prior to January 2019.

In addition to the monetary settlement, PCH agreed to change its business practices and delete certain consumer data collected before January 1, 2019.

Sources

1. FTC Press Release: FTC Sends More Than $18 Million to Consumers Harmed by Publishers Clearing House
2. FTC Case Summary: Publishers Clearing House, LLC (PCH), FTC v.
3. Stipulated Order for Permanent Injunction, Monetary Judgment, and Other Relief