When you have won... how do you get contacted?

L

ladyinredkp

New member
I am very sorry if this has been asked before. I am new at this.

When you have won, how do they contact you? Does the contest in the E-mail subject line say you won? Can you see it clearly or do you have to read all your e-mails to see if you won?

Have you ever just received a package in the mail?

What about if they call you?

If it is something over $500, do they ask for your SS#. How does that work if you win something "big"?


Thank you so much.
 
For an IW you usually get a Congratulations screen along with a confirmation email. If you win big, you'll have to download an affadavit (affy), fill it out, have it notorized, and send certified mail to sponsor.

You can win big and be sent a notification thru FEDEX or UPS also.
 
There are numerous ways you can find out if you won.Sometimes it just shows up in the mail..:)..some receive phone calls..I personally have NEVER been called. All of my win Notifications (200+ for 2011) have been through email if I received a notification. PLEASE NOTE* 2 of my biggest wins -$470.00 & $500.00 went to my junk email & NO WHERE in the title did it say I was a winner.Had I not opened and read these I would have lost my prizes. My advise is to carefully check each email. I have also received notifications that looked like spam..and always remember - no legit contest will ask you for money! Hang tight & keep sweeping even when you don't see anything happening..some sweeps take months to notify the winners..NEVER EVER GIVE UP :)
 
It all depends on the sweep and how it's being administered.

I'd say the majority of sweep wins notify by email and of those "MOST" include a Congratulations in the subject line (but not all, so you do tend to have to read some messages more closely)... and a lot of the things that designate a normal email as "Spam" for normal email users are the same characteristics that winner emails contain, especially for one-entry or daily contests (the instant wins are more automated and timely, you're usually dealing with a real human for other wins).

So, email from an individual you don't know (instead of a generic newsletter mailer), sometimes with attachments will often be legit winners but will filter into Spam folders. Typically you don't have to fill out tax forms or an afidavit for wins unless they are over $600, but some sponsors use a less specific policy (if you wander through the forums you'll see discussions of the afidavits for She Knows and Big Prize that people get for much smaller wins). And some really well known companies work through much lesser known promotion agencies, so just because the email isn't coming from Marriott doesn't mean you didn't win from Marriott, etc. There's a bit of an art that comes with practice for spotting the winners among the swath of other mail that comes in on a regular basis and determining what is legit and what may be trying to scam you.

And while the majority will email, there are other sweep admins who will just automatically ship prizes with no notification, or will post your name on a winners list on their site and never send an email, who will send a direct message through facebook, post on their facebook wall, send a direct message through twitter, and a few will place a phone call. From reading here a while, most will only call if it's a really big prize because they do a lot more verification and they want to ensure you are willing to accept the prize before they start putting you through the paces of all the paperwork.
 
wmmeatlady said:
PLEASE NOTE* 2 of my biggest wins -$470.00 & $500.00 went to my junk email & NO WHERE in the title did it say I was a winner.Had I not opened and read these I would have lost my prizes. My advise is to carefully check each email. I have also received notifications that looked like spam..and always remember - no legit contest will ask you for money! Hang tight & keep sweeping even when you don't see anything happening..some sweeps take months to notify the winners..NEVER EVER GIVE UP :)
Click to expand...

Please tell me more about your winning emails that went into your spam folder. I had a horrible thing happen to me back in March or April of this year. I was the $10,000 grand prize winner of the Pepto Bismol Upset of the Day Contest administered by Eprize. But...............I never saw the email and only know I was the grand prize winner because they called me on the phone on the last day I could get the affadavit back to them. To make a sad long story short, I asked them to resend the winning email so I could see what it looked like so I could knock myself in the head a bunch of times for missing it/deleting it or whatever. It was the typical eprize type winning email showing eprize in the sender address, etc. All I can think of that happened is that it was in my spam folder which I had learned to check carefully prior to this winning email because of having other winning emails in my spam folder. Perhaps the day it arrived was a day I was not paying enough attention to my spam emails or perhaps it was a day when I hit the "delete all" button instead of the "delete" button. I will never know.

I am so very paranoid about missing a winning email now but how the heck am I suppose to open all my spam emails? If I recognize the sender and the Subject line looks like a winning subject line I will open the email.

What were your subject lines for those in your spam folder?

Believe me, it is a sick feeling to come so close to $10,000 and not get it when you need it so badly.

Any help with these winning email subject lines would help me and others.

Thanks.
 
Here is the type of email subject that makes life easy for us sweepers "Subject: You are Writerspace December contest winner "

I just won a $25 Amazon.com gift card code. It was in my spam folder but this type of subject line was very easy for me to kinow it was legit since I enter the Writerspace contests each month. I wish all email notifications were so easy to spot.
 
Amy Shulkusky; said:
Also, some cooties can infect you just by you opening an email, so I always check them:

Right click on the suspect email and select Properties.
Then click on the Details tab.
At the bottom, click on Message Source, and you will be able to see (unless it is all HTML/code) what is in the email, and if it is legit or not.
Click to expand...

Very good to know. I had saved your info, Amy, and I just tried it because the sender's name was familiar, but not someone who emails me. Turned out to be spam. Glad I did not open it.
 
Within my first 2 weeks of sweeping I got an email in my spam from eprize fulfillment center with an attachment.. I deleted it without even opening it.. looked like other spam notices... I am still sick about that... I think about it all the time and just can't let it go!!! :cry:
 
bethtoons; said:
I remember your post when you missed the $10,000 email, the thought of that still makes me shaky.

I at least open every single email that comes to my sweep
Click to expand...

Thank you VERY much for your help. This was great. :sunny:
 
ladyinredkp said:
Thank you, Amy. From the link you posted.... I added all the addresses you posted (a few years ago). Are there any more we need to add?

Thank you very much!
Click to expand...

:wave: ladyinredkp when I see a post or get a win, I'll update the thread, so nothing new lately, but maybe you'll have one to add soon!!! :sunny:
 
:wave: ladyinredkp - I checked what I had posted before and realized I only *thought* I had posted it :crazytongue:

That thread focuses on weird , the Sponsors/JA's has the standard/established - but with so many smaller businesses getting into the act thru blogs & Facebook, there's no way to know them all!!!

Especially since many sweepers never post their wins, and those who do, rarely include that info! :crazytongue:
 
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