The refund checks, worth $18 million, are part of a compliant that says the decades-old sweepstakes company made misleading claims to consumers

Publishers Clearing House will pay $18.5 million to nearly 282,000 customers who regulators say were deceived by the sweepstakes company.

Hundreds of thousands are owed refund checks from sweepstakes company Publishers Clearing House, according to the FTC. Here's what to know.