The Scams
It can be exciting to get a piece of mail or a phone call with “you’re a winner” jumping out at you. But the FTC warns Americans to be careful about who you respond to. A common scam offers you an increased chance to win if you pay a fee (kind of like purchasing extra tickets in a raffle). Other scams announce that you won a foreign sweepstakes or lottery, and requests that you wire money or send a check to a well-known company in order to ensure delivery. Impostors posing as the FTC and other official-sounding government agencies have been reported as well. The goal each and every time is to get you to send money in exchange for an amazing prize or a better chance at winning one.
What You Can Do
Remember that if you haven’t heard of the organization that’s issuing the prize or the prize itself, move cautiously. Some things to note that hopefully will help you spot a fake:
- Never consider paying for increased chances to win a sweepstakes. It’s illegal for any organization to offer this and/or provide it.
- Ask questions. Prize promoters are legally required to tell you the odds of winning, the value of the prize, that it is free, and the terms and conditions to redeem a prize.
- If you’re asked to pay for a prize–even shipping and handling–research the name of the organization by checking consumerfraudreporting.org’s List of Prize, Sweepstakes, and Lottery Scams and Names of Legitimate Lotteries. Even a quick Google search can help.
- If you find the prize is coming from a legitimate organization, find a unique phone number for them online and call to confirm that you won.
We hope that this notice helps you and those in your community be more aware of possible risks. If we can help you for any reason, just email us at [email protected] or call us at 360-930-6991. We’re crossing our fingers for you.