Here are some important things to know when/if you’ve won a prize! In this article, I’ll let you know the things to look for first, and then the things to look out for. It will help you and help keep giveaways fun for you!
When you win a prize and you’re informed of winning by phone:
I am lucky to have won a few things. Generally speaking, if you are told of a win over the phone, the conversation will go something like this:
“Hello, can I speak with __________?” “Yes, this is him (or she).” “Hello ______, I am ______ from the _______ company. Do you remember entering _________ on that date?” “Yes because?” “Well, congratulations! You’ve won _______! Here are the details…” And the phone call is usually 2-3 minutes long, and the sponsor tells you the prize details, shipping details, and any special dates (ie if it’s a golf tournament, etc.).
So basically, if you win a sweepstakes over the phone, the sponsor will let you know almost immediately who they are and what you’ve won. And usually the phone call will be very short and pleasant. You may also be required to provide an affidavit.
When you win a prize by email and are notified of your win by email:
Earning by email is not always “so” noticeable, so keep an eye out for certain headlines (and generally check your email regularly!) While other emails will be very straightforward, something like “XYZ Company Notice” (which is more like an invoice! :P)
A very ‘easy’ way to enter many giveaways, especially if you participate a lot, is to organize them by ‘topic’ or ‘sponsor’. (Most email programs allow you to click on the ‘header’ and then they will automatically sort by that field.) Many messages will be ‘filler’ messages (ie “Thank you for signing up for our newsletter!”) that you don’t really need. (It’s nice to read a sponsor’s newsletter, but you really don’t need to read 20 sponsors ‘thanking’ you for ‘subscribing’ to your newsletter, if the messages are all exactly the same.) But the others, you should check them out…
Winning emails usually have the following in common:
a) You may be required to submit an ‘affidavit’ confirming that you have won the prize.
b) They can say ‘Congratulations! You won…’ in the body of the email.
c) They will typically identify who they are (usually a ‘real’ person, as opposed to an automated message) and list the prize you have won.
d) And, obviously, you will normally recognize the sponsor’s name/company address/etc. as one who has entered.
If you see any of these four items in the body of your email, please read it carefully to see if you’ve won anything.
Things to keep in mind:
‘Real’ draws do not request ‘deposits’ or ‘payments’ for your prize.
Giveaways are fun. Sweepstakes are often referred to as ‘giveaway’ sweepstakes. they are No called “give us ways to make money giveaways”. A company should not ask you for money in the form of a deposit, or ‘partial payment’ of the prize, etc, etc.
While some companies that are ‘legitimate’ may contact you with a sales pitch for a product or service (because you gave them permission to contact you), they will almost *always* let you know in advance that they are calling. And they’ll let you know what it is because you entered a specific raffle and gave them permission To contact you. They are going to No try to hide that fact. Fake companies will not normally do that, and will also try to sell you something ‘disguised’ as a prize.
Some examples.
(TO) “Automated” computer phone calls. If you get some sort of automated phone call asking you to “press one” or “stay on the line,” it’s most likely fake. I’ve gotten a few fake phone calls from ‘cruise ships’ where they have a foghorn sound in the background, the guy tries to sound really excited, and then if he ‘stays on the line’ he goes right into a sales pitch. They’ve gotten pretty good, in the sense that if you ask *any* question (ie “Is this legit?” to the operator), they’ll automatically hang up on you. But they are ‘automating’ the phone calls because they are calling a lot of people en masse, hoping to ‘catch’ a few.
(b) If the call sounds ‘scripted’ and the person doesn’t want to ‘deviate’ from the script, it is most likely fake.. While most giveaway organizers are obviously excited (i.e., they’ll say something like “Hey! Congratulations! You won ___”), so-called “scripts” (also known as “fake” companies) will often spend 15-20 minutes trying to get you excited and promoting yourself, and then ask for your number. (Another ‘dead giveaway’ is if they ask you upfront if you’re a ‘reputable Visa or Mastercard holder’. Who cares? Real backers don’t need to know this. Essentially, ‘fake’ companies are saying ‘we don’t want to waste your time unless we can get you to pay something later.’)
In fact, I’ve gotten a couple of calls like this. I thought I had won something, but then the person on the other end tried to “turn me on”. They asked a lot of leading questions, like “Are you excited about…?” So I would say yes. Then they’d say “Wouldn’t you be excited if you won TWO items like this?” Then they’d say yes… Then they’d say “Wouldn’t your FRIENDS be excited if…”, etc etc… trying to get as many ‘yes’ as possible, then 15 minutes into the conversation, ‘bam!’, try to get you to give them your credit card number. And, in fact, that’s what was said, which is, “So you’re excited! Great! To claim your prize we just need your visa card.” THAT? No, you don’t.
The funny thing is that I then ‘talked’ to the woman for 15 minutes afterwards. I told her that she wanted to verify the legitimacy of the ‘contest/giveaway’ she was offering, and she tried to put me On the defensive. In fact, she wanted to phone someone else to confirm that it was a ‘legitimate’ award, but the woman No let me hang up the phone. She told me that if she hung up, you would “lose your place” in line to claim the prize. I told her I would call her back, but she said her boss wouldn’t let her do that. etcetera etcetera. Obviously by then, long before, she already knew it was fake, but she wanted to see how long she would try to keep selling this to me. She tried for about 15 minutes.
Therefore, legitimate sweepstakes generally do not try to ‘trick’ you into giving them your credit card number.
(against) If the person on the other line can barely speak English and speaks with a thick or broken accent, it “may” be a fake draw.. It’s really funny, but for some strange reason, many ‘fake’ companies are very, very ‘cheap’ when it comes to getting ‘hired’ help to do ‘shady’ things, so they will ‘outsource’ their sales calls to other countries where wages are $2 an hour instead of $10 or more an hour.
Since the sweepstakes are usually held in the US, they usually have a fluent English speaker when they contact you about the prize won. Although many people work for companies whose first language is not English, and of course are highly intelligent, they generally work in areas other than “communications” where their strengths shine. Someone who can’t communicate effectively isn’t going to talk to you on the phone. It can happen in a blue moon, but usually reputable companies choose people who can communicate clearly and effectively, to be people who communicate with the “public”. And usually this means someone who is fluent in English.
So if someone calls you with a thick accent speaking in broken English, although it may not be a fake draw, keep your guard up and listen to the rest of the conversation.
Recommendations!
Regardless, these tips should help you recognize when you’re winning, and help you know when they’re legitimate wins! Happy Draw!
