What is lottery sweepstakes scam?
What is lottery sweepstakes scam?
The initial contact in a sweepstakes scam is often a call, an email, a social media notification or a piece of direct mail offering congratulations for winning some big contest. But there’s a catch: You’ll be asked to pay a fee, taxes or customs duties to claim your prize.
Is there such a thing as a legitimate sweepstakes?
To appear more legitimate, some sweepstakes scams pretend to come from government organizations such as the FTC or the “National Sweepstakes Board” (which doesn’t actually exist). Real sweepstakes sponsors send their win notifications directly to the winners.
What to do if you get a sweepstakes call?
You get a call or an online solicitation claiming you were automatically entered in a sweepstakes you’ve never heard of before. You’re told you need to make an upfront payment to collect the prize. Someone calls you and says they have a winning state lottery ticket but needs help paying a fee to collect on it.
Do you have to pay Publishers Clearing House for a sweepstakes?
You Never Have to Pay to Receive a Legitimate PCH Win Scammers extort money from you in exchange for a promise of a prize that never materializes. The truth is you never, ever have to pay to receive a sweepstakes prize, from Publishers Clearing House or any other company.
Is there any way to verify a prize?
There are some steps that you can take to verify your prize wins. Some of them include never, ever paying money to receive a prize and using Google to search for similar win notifications that have been reported to consumer organizations as scams. Before you respond to any notifications, take these steps to protect yourself 6.
To appear more legitimate, some sweepstakes scams pretend to come from government organizations such as the FTC or the “National Sweepstakes Board” (which doesn’t actually exist). Real sweepstakes sponsors send their win notifications directly to the winners.
You get a call or an online solicitation claiming you were automatically entered in a sweepstakes you’ve never heard of before. You’re told you need to make an upfront payment to collect the prize. Someone calls you and says they have a winning state lottery ticket but needs help paying a fee to collect on it.
How to verify Publishers Clearing House sweepstakes win?
Verify your win. If you are confused about whether your win is legitimate, contact Publishers Clearing House directly to ask them if they can verify your prize. Do not call any telephone number or contact any email address that is included within your notice. This will lead you directly to the hands of the scammers.
There are some steps that you can take to verify your prize wins. Some of them include never, ever paying money to receive a prize and using Google to search for similar win notifications that have been reported to consumer organizations as scams. Before you respond to any notifications, take these steps to protect yourself 6.