• Planet Antares Scam Solutions | How To Avoid Sweepstakes Complaints

    Date: 2010.08.27 | Category: How to | Tags: ,,,,,,,,,,

    planet antares scam sweepstakes complaintsThe Ohio State Attorney General’s office says that state is on track to double the number of phony sweepstakes complaints it receives this year compared to 2009. The office has received more than 900 complaints this year regarding these scams, compared to 622 for all of 2009.

    Sweepstakes scams promise contestants the opportunity to win prizes or other valuables. In reality, the scams are designed to steal entrants’ money or personal information, making them subject to identity theft.  Commonly, sweepstakes scams inform a potential victim that he or she has won the grand prize. In order to claim the prize, however, the winner must pay fees, taxes or other charges.   Alternately, victims are told that they must supply their Social Security number or banking information to pay taxes on the winnings.

    Here are a few tips by Planet Antares Scam Solutions to avoid being scammed by phony sweepstakes complaints.

    You can’t win drawings you didn’t enter. If someone contacts you by phone or mail to say that you’ve won a contest you don’t remember entering, or can’t provide specific details about when and where you entered, you may be dealing with a scam.  Ask questions about the contest. If you aren’t happy with the answers, don’t respond to the notification.

    Don’t supply any personal information to a third party who calls or contacts you by direct mail, and don’t agree to pay for anything to collect your prize.  The odds of winning a genuine sweepstakes are small.   Attempt to verify your winnings status independently if you really think you’ve won something.

    Giveaways and “games of chance” are often regulated by the state in which you live.  If you’re concerned about a potential scam, call your state’s lottery commission to see if the contest is known to them and whether the sponsors are registered in your state.  If your state hasn’t sanctioned the contest, don’t respond to the notification.

    Do not respond to email claims that you’ve won an international lottery.  US citizens can’t participate in international lotteries unless they travel to the country in which the game is being held.  If you didn’t travel abroad and enter a lottery contest, you didn’t win a thing!  If the sponsor says they’ll send you a check to cover the cost of the taxes on your winnings, and seeks a “tax payment” in return, run the other way to avoid falling victim to an advance-fee scam.