Top 10 Signs that Your Win is Really a Sweepstakes Scam

amyshulk

amyshulk

Well-known member
Staff member
12 Warning Signs of Sweepstakes Scams (Stay Safe!)

1. You Need to Pay to Receive the Prize
2. You Don't Recognize the Sweepstake
3. You Receive a Large Check with your Notification
4. You Are Asked to Wire Money
5. You Are Pressured to Act in a Hurry
6. You Need to Provide Bank or Credit Card Info to Receive Your Prize
7. The Win is From a Lottery
8. The Win is From a Foreign Lottery
9. The Notification is From a Government Organization
10. The Notification is Sent Via Bulk Mail

Read the article for more info :wave:


badgercontest went more in depth;

badgercontest said:
Some steps I use to ensure legitimacy:

1. Ask yourself if this is a sweepstakes that you remember entering. If you never entered for the prize that you just "won" the odds of being a scam are probably high.
2. The notification should come from a business or prize service e-mail address. Anything from an e-mail that anyone can create (IE: @hotmail.com, @yahoo.com, @gmail.com, @outlook.com etc. is a red flag.)
3. Correspondence should look professional. Any forms to be filled out and returned should look like they're from a business. IE: Not a bunch of misspellings, bad grammar, etc.

4. If you need to return any forms make sure they are going to a business e-mail address or a company street address/fax # (Just Google the street address or phone # to check)... either of the company putting on the sweeps or the sweepstakes service company administering it. IE: Don't send anything with your SS# to a residential address or a PO Box.
Note: Any prize won with a value of $600 or more WILL require you to submit your Social Security # to the company for tax purposes. This does NOT mean it's a scam. Some companies will also require it for prizes with values under $600.

5. Don't send anyone $ in order to claim a prize. Anything tax-related you will do on your own with federal/state filings.
6. All "foreign lotteries" are scams. Either that or the UK owes me a ton of money. har har.

7. Be careful with what sweeps you are entering. A sweepstakes from Coca-Cola is much safer to enter than from "WinMoneyNOW! LLC" or whatever. Prevention is the best medicine sometimes. Sites like sweepsadvantage are good because 95% of the sweeps they post/screen I feel comfortable with entering. Just avoid anything that gives you bad feelings... always safer that way.

Good luck with your sweeping! :)
Click to expand...

ALSO;

amyshulk said:
Recognize Sweepstakes Scams that Ask for Too Much Sensitive Information
https://www.thebalance.com/how-much-information-sweepstakes-886990

By Sandra Grauschopf Updated June 21, 2016

Asking for too much sensitive information is one of the signs of a sweepstakes scam. Some unscrupulous people take advantage of their victim's hopes of winning sweepstakes to lure them into providing information that can be used for identity theft.

And yet, even legitimate sweepstakes ask for so much personal information that it can be difficult to tell what's reasonable and what's not.
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
My additions:

11. Where you receive an unsolicited email requiring you to answer a survey & comply with offers
12. Where there is an asterisk (*) next to YOU WON or the PRIZE

Anyone have any more? :)
 
loren_brothers said:
Sorry I didn't catch this thread, and it's sister earlier! As most members here know, I tend to spout when something gets my attention.

This is one of them. Sooooo....the following advice to people new to sweeping:


  • [li]If the entry website is poorly done with no/little graphics and any spelling mistakes run the other direction! People who run legitimate sweeps spend time to present themselves professionally. (ie: PR) If not... run the other way![/li]
    [li]If they require you to sign up for something, run the other way, RAPIDLY![/li]
    [li]If they state that they will ONLY contact the winners by phone .... walk swiftly in the other direction. (this is a pretty good indication that the whole thing is just a marketing scam to get your Ph # off the "do not call" list)[/li]
    [li]If they call and say "You might be a winner...." start heading for your bomb shelter. Scam-city there[/li]
    [li]If an "opt in/out" option is not given on the entry page: just plan on your e-mail addy being given to every Tom, Dick, and Harry from here to Pakistan! But who knows...maybe you'll meet your true love at that XXX porn site?[/li]
    [li]Read the rules page....for the indiscriminate sweeper entering 500+ sweeps a day that may be difficult, but que sara, sara: Deal with the disease.[/li]
    [li]If it looks fishy: it is![/li]

Luvs,

Loren
Click to expand...
 
Sick of the scammers? Check out this informative site:

http://www.419eater.com/


Welcome to the world of Scambaiting!

Does somebody want to transfer millions of dollars into your account?
Does someone want you pay you to cash cheques and send them the money?
Met a new friend/penpal on a friendship/dating site who's asking you for money?
Has a dying person contacted you wanting your help to give his money to charity?
Have you sold an item and are asked to accept a payment larger than the item amount?

IT'S A SCAM!


Don't fall for common scams like this - fight them!


Welcome to the world of Scambaiting!

Does somebody want to transfer millions of dollars into your account?
Does someone want you pay you to cash cheques and send them the money?
Met a new friend/penpal on a friendship/dating site who's asking you for money?
Has a dying person contacted you wanting your help to give his money to charity?
Have you sold an item and are asked to accept a payment larger than the item amount?

IT'S A SCAM!

Don't fall for common scams like this - fight them!

So what is scambaiting? Well, put simply, you enter into a dialogue with scammers, simply to waste their time and resources. Whilst you are doing this, you will be helping to keep the scammers away from real potential victims and screwing around with the minds of deserving thieves.

It doesn't matter if you are new to this sport or a hardened veteran; if you are wasting the time of a scammer, or frustrating them in any way well that's good enough for us, and we would welcome you to join with our now very large community.

Although this site concentrates mainly on the Nigerian 419 scam, we are happy to deal with other types of scams if and when the opportunity arises. We also have a large team of experts dedicated to the removal and closure of fake scammer banks and sites.

Even if you are a newcomer, much fun can be had and at the same time you will be doing a public service. If you are new to this game and need to know what scambaiting is all about, please click on the 419 FAQ link at the top of the page. See also Baiting Tips for information on getting started on this great cyber-sport

We encourage everyone to contribute to this site and the good cause of scambaiting by joining in the fun on the FORUM where you can meet new friends and seek expert help, tips and advice on anti-scamming. User participation is absolutely encouraged. Please help us to raise awareness the world over!

Do not be fooled into thinking scammers operate from a specific part of the world. Advance fee fraud scammers are a world-wide menace, and they operate from every continent. These scammers range from small one-man-band criminals scamming a few thousand dollars a year, to highly organised groups raking in hundreds of thousands of dollars a month

No matter what a person’s motivation for answering a 419 letter nobody deserves to be put through the kind of hell that these scum have waiting for their victims. And no scammer deserves to profit from lying and stealing.

That is why we have no problem with baiting. Every scammer baited, every lad who poses with a sign for a baiter, every false form filled in, every fake bank taken down means that less victims are scammed. We keep the scammers busy with ‘safe’ targets. We occupy them and waste their time. Hopefully some will decide it’s not worth it and get an honest job. Others may get caught in a sting.
 
Just want to add:

If they tell you it is best to keep your winnings quiet until your winning has been processed and money or prize sent to you.
 
http://ago.mo.gov/publications/sweepstakes.htm

Introduction to sweepstakes

First, get the facts

Read the fine print and beware

How to tell difference between sweepstakes, other promotions

Report fraud, decrease sweepstakes offers

Report fraud

Report any suspicious sweepstakes and other offers to the Attorney General's Office. E-mail or call the Consumer Protection Hotline at 1-800-392-8222.

Stop sweepstakes mail

Federal law requires companies to stop mailing sweepstakes offers if you make a request. Write the companies and request that they remove your name and address from their mailing lists. Remember to include your name and address as they appear on mail sent by those companies.

Remove name from more mailing lists

Write to Mail Preference Service and ask that all members of the Direct Marketing Association remove your name and address from DMA members' mailing lists:

DMA Mail Preference Service
PO Box 643
Carmel, NY 10512
 
amyshulk said:
opting out

In the United States, opting out applies to just about everything. Even the credit bureaus can sell your marketing information (remember those credit card applications you received out of the blue in your mailbox?) to anyone they want, as long as you have not told them it’s not okay. Doubleclick and other agencies can build profiles of your surfing information, unless, of course, you tell them to knock it off.

Because of the laws in the United States, most marketing companies are now providing a way to opt-out from their profiling, pop-up (and under) ads, and sometimes even banners. Usually this method consists of setting a cookie which tells their ad server you have opted out. I know it seems strange to set a cookie to prevent a service from using cookies, but that’s the way it works.

Links to the opt-out pages for some of the larger and more common annoyances are listed below. Click the link and follow the instructions. If, after clicking the link, you are asked by your browser or cookie software about a cookie, say YES to save it. Note that if you have disabled cookies (either altogether or for one of these specific sites) then these will not work.

If applicable, you might also read the privacy policies and other propaganda presented by these sites. They are very entertaining as they try very hard to make you understand how all of this is for your benefit.

Advertising.Com
http://servedby.advertising.com/optout A large advertiser. Opting out will prevent profiling.

Be Free Inc
http://www.yourcontrolpanel.com/mypage/pcp.html One of the larger internet marketing companies. “Be Free will be prevented from tracking any additional data in the future and will result in curtailing the delivery of personalized content to your desktop.”

Blue Streak
http://www.bluestreak.com/optout.htm Removes some ads and pop ups.

Comet Cursors
http://download.cometsystems.com/no_nag/nonag.asp Stop seeing comet cursor nag screens.

CoreMetrics
http://www.coremetrics.com/consumer_opt_out/ opt_out_options.html#optoutnow Opts out of ads served by Columbia House. Note that uRL above is on two lines and should be entered into browser as one line.

Doubleclick
http://optout.doubleclick.net/cgi-bin/dclk/optout.pl One of the largest and most obnoxious internet advertisers. This will stop Doubleclick from profiling your visits.

Engage
http://www.engage.com/privacy/confirmoo_privacy.cfm Opt out of this companies profiling.

Fastclicks.com
http://www.fastclick.net/v4/optout2.cgi?234 “Click to win” ads.

Hunger Site
http://www.interpolls.com/privacy/optout/optout.cfm Removes their pop under ads.

Interpolis
http://www.interpolls.com/privacy/optout/optout.cfm Movie ads.

L90
http://ads.admonitor.net/opt_out.cgi Another ad server.

Rain Forest Site
http://www.therainforestsite.com/turnOffPopUnders Removes their pop under ads.

WebSideStory
http://webveil.com/linkout/vwr1.hitbox.com/privcenter/edit.html HitBox.com, StatMarket.com, Yep.com amd WebSideStory.com.

X10.Com
http://www.x10.com/home/optout.cgi?DAY=3000&PAGE= http://www.x10.com/x10ads1.htm One of the most hated advertisers on the internet, with their intrusive popups and silly product. This link will stop the popups for a long time. Note wrap on URL above.

Some Cautions

Remember that you must opt-out of each and every individual company or service. There is not a global, opt-out of everything magic button anywhere.

If you use more than one browser you must opt-out in each and every one. This is because the browsers do not share cookies.

The opt-out only applies to the computer on which you are on at the time. If you move to another computer you must opt-out there also. (Unless you are using something called a roaming profile, which means cookies and things follow you around. This is common in business environments but not in the home.)

The opt-out only applies to a single log on. This means if you opt-out under “Fred” and you then log out and log back under “Tom”, you must out-out all over again.

Opt-out cookies do expire, generally within 5 years. So you must later remember to opt-out again.

If you clear your internet cache and ask that cookies also be erased (or you erase them with a cookie killing product) then you will lose your opt-out settings.

Further Information On Opting Out:

Federal Trade Commission http://www.ftc.gov/privacy/protect.htm Sharing Your Personal Information: It’s Your Choice
Click to expand...
 
THANKS!!! I totally agree spammers are worse than ever. I acually fell for one of those where they say you won a $500 gift cart to wal-mart then had to fill out survey and order two things from third party so course i got the two that was free just pay shipping. I was charged $88 for that shiping for free trial of green tea. I can not get my money back either their numer and everything a con but when they use name brands like wal-mart you would think you can trust them. I now am totally scorned and afraid to order anything online. So anything we can do to eliminate that Im IN. Please report your spams and when and if u get coned that helps. I now get large checks almost daily saying i won to deposit what a shame cause I NEED THE MONEY! lol they are so wrong to target the elderly or the finacially strained. bless u all hope together we can target those and start eliminating them. :wave:
 
destynez said:
THANKS!!! I totally agree spammers are worse than ever. I acually fell for one of those where they say you won a $500 gift cart to wal-mart then had to fill out survey and order two things from third party so course i got the two that was free just pay shipping. I was charged $88 for that shiping for free trial of green tea. I can not get my money back either their numer and everything a con but when they use name brands like wal-mart you would think you can trust them. I now am totally scorned and afraid to order anything online. So anything we can do to eliminate that Im IN. Please report your spams and when and if u get coned that helps. I now get large checks almost daily saying i won to deposit what a shame cause I NEED THE MONEY! lol they are so wrong to target the elderly or the finacially strained. bless u all hope together we can target those and start eliminating them. :wave:
Click to expand...

did u get the $500 gift card???? :scratch:
i almost fell for that one!
thanks for letting me and others know! :)
 
Very interesting. It makes you kinda leery entering. I guess it's best to enter well known companies that are reputable.
Thanks for the heads up.
 
lidarkside said:
Real prize notifications do not address them to "[email protected]". They use your real name. They also don't have you click on some link going to some obscure webpage.

Prize notifications request you reply directly to the email or fill out an attachment to mail, fax, or email in. They also supply you with the person's name of whom is contacting you and their direct contact information including the company name.

The subject line will also have an appropriate heading.
Click to expand...
 
badgercontest went more in depth;


badgercontest said:
Some steps I use to ensure legitimacy:

1. Ask yourself if this is a sweepstakes that you remember entering. If you never entered for the prize that you just "won" the odds of being a scam are probably high.
2. The notification should come from a business or prize service e-mail address. Anything from an e-mail that anyone can create (IE: @hotmail.com, @yahoo.com, @gmail.com, @outlook.com etc. is a red flag.)
3. Correspondence should look professional. Any forms to be filled out and returned should look like they're from a business. IE: Not a bunch of misspellings, bad grammar, etc.

4. If you need to return any forms make sure they are going to a business e-mail address or a company street address/fax # (Just Google the street address or phone # to check)... either of the company putting on the sweeps or the sweepstakes service company administering it. IE: Don't send anything with your SS# to a residential address or a PO Box.
Note: Any prize won with a value of $600 or more WILL require you to submit your Social Security # to the company for tax purposes. This does NOT mean it's a scam. Some companies will also require it for prizes with values under $600.

5. Don't send anyone $ in order to claim a prize. Anything tax-related you will do on your own with federal/state filings.
6. All "foreign lotteries" are scams. Either that or the UK owes me a ton of money. har har.

7. Be careful with what sweeps you are entering. A sweepstakes from Coca-Cola is much safer to enter than from "WinMoneyNOW! LLC" or whatever. Prevention is the best medicine sometimes. Sites like sweepsadvantage are good because 95% of the sweeps they post/screen I feel comfortable with entering. Just avoid anything that gives you bad feelings... always safer that way.

Good luck with your sweeping! :)
Click to expand...
 
Recognize Sweepstakes Scams that Ask for Too Much Sensitive Information
https://www.thebalance.com/how-much-information-sweepstakes-886990

By Sandra Grauschopf Updated June 21, 2016

Asking for too much sensitive information is one of the signs of a sweepstakes scam. Some unscrupulous people take advantage of their victim's hopes of winning sweepstakes to lure them into providing information that can be used for identity theft.

And yet, even legitimate sweepstakes ask for so much personal information that it can be difficult to tell what's reasonable and what's not.
 
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