Every day, thousands of American consumers receive sweepstakes promotions by phone, over the Internet or in the mail. Legitimate sweepstakes are advertising and marketing techniques that offer participating consumers a chance to win a prize or money with no purchase or entry fee required. But if you have to pay to play or pay to receive your "winnings," the promotion is a scam.
You should never have to pay to enter a sweepstakes. That includes paying shipping and handling fees, taxes, or buying a product to receive your "prize". Those sweepstakes that notify you by a postcard that you've won a free prize are run by con artists whose sole purpose is to rip you off. And that "free prize" could end up costing you hundreds of dollars.
A legitimate sweepstakes will never charge you to win. If you receive a promotion congratulating you on winning a prize, but requiring a shipping and handling fee, it is not a sweepstakes and may be fraudulent. You should never have to pay any fee in order to receive a prize in a sweepstakes.
Ask the following questions to evaluate the legitimacy of sweepstakes or other promotions:
To learn more on how you can prevent being scammed, visit: http://postalinspectors.uspis.gov/