My 82 y/o MIL and FIL asked me to be their financial POA five months ago. I asked my FIL about the Publisher Clearing House charges in the bank account and he explained my MIL buys stuff. I didn't say anything more because I had no clue you could buy 'stuff' from them. My original thought was 'this must be a scam', but I looked into it and Pub. Clearinghouse is basically selling stuff to support their 'giveaways'. Things are overpriced, but she buys anywhere from $20-$90/mo. I could buy the same stuff for her at 1/2 the cost. My FIL originally told me 'well, we won $10 a few years ago'. So I am unclear if they think they are seriously going to win the big money or not. They don't need $1m because in one month they are moving into an Assisted Living facility where their LTC insurance will pay for their care for years and then Benevolence and Medicaid will kick in when their personal funds run out. So they are 'set' - meaning, a big windfall isn't going to change their life. My MIL and FIL are conservative Christians who would never go to a casino or buy lottery tickets so I am not sure they truly get that they are spending money in the hopes of winning money...which is gambling. Since I am the daughter-in-law I am not sure that I should bring up the topic. My husband has 2 brothers and a sister who could discuss this with her. I am looking for a perspective from a non-biased party so thanks in advance! Do we ignore it? Do I ask one of their kids to discuss it? I am now seeing these Pub Clearinghouse envelopes show up in their mail and email with these big promotional ads about how they can win millions - it makes me nauseous because my family shouldn't be wasting money on their gimmicks.
Levin lit into them, calling them out for their manipulation and exploitation of people. I wondered how people could work for such scamming outfits, then have the audacity to "testify" and lie before a Senate committee. Yet they did.
This may have been after a woman testified that her father, or perhaps mother (I don't remember for sure) had been lured by the possibility of a monetary windfall, and bought their junk. Her daughter said the bathtub was full of that junk.
That was so sad, that this poor woman was so duped, and had a tub full of junk.
Kshuman, I would tactfully raise the issue with the family. You're thoughtful and concerned to focus on this potentially devastating issue. I don't know the best solution, although providing a change of address to a nonexistent place might work, as long as that fictional site is just provided to PCH and no other companies. However, I've learned that companies check post office registers or some main source to get address changes, and you don't want real mail relocated.
I wonder if the BBB would do anything to terminate their harrassment?
I think what I did was fill their SASE envelopes with junk, labels from cans, and all sorts of garbage mail. Eventually they stopped harassing me.
In 60+ years of monthly 'buying' she has won NOTHING. AND, to make it worse, she has KEPT all the envelopes with all the inserts from the start. In the crawlspace of YB's home are 6-7 huge bins packed with these envelopes. Some dating from the 60's---after she dies we are having a huge bonfire. She used to store them in her tiny apartment, but I blew a little gasket b/c she also keeps all her mail and all her newspapers and that was just a fire hazard.
I DID take several catalogs (same thing, she has some that are 14 years old!) and call them, or email them and have them cancelled. Once in a great while she'll 'miss' a catalog and ask me and I just say that they went out of business, It's not a lie, they went out of "her" business. She watches 3 TV channels, why does she need TV Guide?
I am so grateful she cannot figure out online buying.....
In our case, IF she would routinely throw out old catalogs, TV guides, newspapers and junk mail, we wouldn't CARE she gets so much junk. Her place is totally hoarded out with stacks and piles of papers. I don't even go in there anymore.
I think she's the last person in the country who is filling out the forms to order and sending them in!
It's ALL garbage. Stuff she didn't know she needed, until she saw it in a catalog and now she can't live without it.
It's a problem that will never be adequately solved while she's alive. We all just try to sneak out a pile to the recycling if she's not looking. We have to pick our battles.
Also, contact PCH and tell them to remove them from their mailing list.
If they asked you to be their POA, then they clearly trust you. I think you have a right to have the conversation.
PCH are the worst ones for selling your info. I bet ur inlaws get a lots of junk mail. I have not gotten anything from them in years and they are sneaky. I was signing up for something. It took me to a page and I didn't realize it wasn't the one I needed. It wasn't until I pushed OK after filling in the info that I found it was PCH. I was so mad at myself. As soon as I received the first email I unsubcribed. So far so good mail wise but I am getting emails from sites I would never have signed up for. Just unsubscibe.
When ur inlaws move, get them a PO Box. This gives you the ability to get rid of any junk mail. If a stamped envelope is included, put all the enclosures back in the envelpe with the paper showing their address on top. Circle it and say "take me off your mailing list". The ones I couldn't do this with I went to their site and emailed saying "take me off your mailing list" and also any name with this mailing address. (My name is spelled many ways)
It will take awhile but the junk mail will slow down. Contests like they have in the Malls, win a car or a trip, will get you on mailing lists.
I would discuss honestly with the sons and daughters in family phone conference. Have your evidence with you when you do. Much has been written about Publisher's Clearing House specifically. Research and copy. Start with AARP.
That is the limit of where I would go with this. I sure wish you luck.