Can you spot a sweepstakes scammer?
I truly love sweepstakes and the joy not only I get, but others get when we are given the chance to win awesome prizes. But, if there’s one thing that peeves me off (more than not winning LOL), it’s people impersonating legitimate sweepstakes companies scamming people! They are out there, preying on the best sweepstakes site users, and you need to be alert when playing! They are not affiliated with with the sweepstakes and they shouldn’t deter you from playing one bit. You should just keep your guard up. Scammers can make themselves sound and look like legitimate sweepstakes companies, and they use the fact that we all want to win to their advantage. It’s the number one reason why we respond to them. We’ve all had moments where we’ve been told “we’re the winner” only to realize it’s someone trying to steal our money, information or even our identity! What a bummer! It is a terrible a process because it preys on our emotions, but more than that, it can ruin my the fun sweepstakes games that I like to play and getting my hopes up. It’s cruel. Unfortunately, it happens often enough, and I’ve seen enough of their tricks, that I wanted to write this list of Sweepstakes Alerts scam tips so YOU can protect yourself from scam artists.
- They make lots of typos Most scammers do not have a great command of the English language because most of them are in a different country. Pay close attention to the grammar and spelling of all people claiming to be from a sweepstakes website. If they make a large amount of spelling or grammar errors, speak in broken English, or just don’t “sound” official enough, they may be a scammer.
- They will contact you in different ways Most sweepstakes sites will contact you via email if you’ve won. They’ll use an official email address from the sweepstakes site. If you receive a random post card asking for shipping fees to receive your prize, a phone call asking you for your debit card to hold your prize, or an instant message on Facebook, AOL, or any of those places -- be on the lookout! They might not be who they say they are! They will sometimes even get their sweepstakes sites mixed up by saying they’re from a certain sweepstakes site but send you information from another. If it doesn’t make sense or smells fishy, email your sweepstakes sites and ask if you’ve won!
- Asking for money Any real sweepstakes site will NEVER ask for money from you directly to claim your prize.You don’t even pay the sweepstakes site directly for taxes on a prize! While most legitimate sweepstakes sites will ask for some additional information from you to ship your prize or even ask for “private” information if you’ve won a prize over $600, they will do so using a standard W-9 tax form issued by the government (I mean, hey, even Uncle Sam loves his sweepstakes winnings haha). Legitimate sweepstakes don’t make you pay a fee or buy something to enter or improve your chances of winning — that includes paying "taxes," "shipping and handling charges," or “processing fees” to get your prize. There’s also no reason to give someone your checking account number or credit card number in response to a sweepstakes promotion.
- Saying you’ve won a prize you didn’t enter to win If someone contacts you saying you’ve won a prize, and you don’t remember entering to win it, it’s most likely a scammer. This is the number one thing to look out for when entering sweepstakes because to win, you have to enter! Winning a prize doesn’t “just happen” since they can’t know who you are unless you’ve entered. Some scammers will even say you’ve won a prize that the legitimate sweepstakes website has never offered!
- They want you to wire money or cash a check for them You may be told to wire money to an agent or a well-known company — often in a foreign country — to “insure” delivery of the prize. They may also ask you to Western Union money to them as well to pay for fees. Don’t do it. Wiring money is like sending cash: once it’s gone, you can’t trace it or get it back. The same goes for sending a check or money order by overnight delivery or courier, or putting money on a prepaid debit card. They may tell you to pay a holding fee of, say, $200 that they will give you back with your winnings. The fee is just to secure your winnings, they say! That’s not true! You should never have to pay a legitimate sweepstakes site anything to “secure” your prize. Always make sure to go back to the original sweepstakes site and look at their official rules. Especially if you are told this is a “limited time offer”. Sweepstakes sites will have a section in their rules and regulations that tells you how long you have to claim a prize! If it doesn’t match up with what the person says, red flag alert!
- The “sweepstakes” doesn’t know your full name Believe it or not, these places will mail postcards or other items to the “current resident” of the house or email to the “lucky winner”. If you are contacted by a sweepstakes site that has to ask your name or email address, it is a scam. Remember, that legitimate sweepstakes sites follow the law by providing you W9 forms if you win a prize over $600. They will never ask for your social security number or information just via an instant message or an email without that official form.
- It seems too good to be true If you enter sweepstakes, keep track of things you enter for a chance to win. Some scammers will contact you and state you’ve won millions of dollars, a car, and all sorts of things. If it sounds fake, IT IS FAKE. Always contact the site that they state they are from and ask the people who run the site if you’ve won. They can verify and then track the person that is trying to scam you.
- They are from a foreign country Do not be fooled by scammers stating you’ve won a foreign lottery of any sort. Especially if you have never been to that country or lived there! A lotto or lottery usually means you’ve purchased a ticket for a chance to win. If you haven’t purchased a ticket, and you are contacted being told you won the lotto, that’s a HUGE red flag! All lotto or lottery winners that DO win are from that country, state, area, or region. It is illegal to sell lottery tickets across international borders!