got a fake publishers clearing house cheque  by mail and it said to call this number

Same!!! i called the number because curiosity got the better of me.
Spoke with the person over the phone and he had poor communication skills, was fumbling his words and couldn't grasp how i was asking questions regarding who the company is and how they received detailed information!!!!
This has to be a scam and people will be completely fooled if they speak with this individual.
He kept asking for information over and over which made no sense considering they sent the letter!?!?!