Want to win a FABULOUS PRIZE? The odds are better than you think, actually, and the opportunity is as close as the nearest computer.
Thousands of contests and sweepstakes are available online. Giant corporations and local businesses are handing out computers, jewelry, shopping sprees, vacations, smart phones, cars, houses, boats and cold, hard cash.
You can win small prizes (burger, T-shirt), unique prizes (walk-on role on a TV show) and incredibly useful prizes (a year's worth of health insurance).
Yes, there are scams out there, and we'll talk about ways to avoid them, but there are plenty of real chances, too. Just ask Michelle Troutt, who in five years has won 22 vacations, cash, and countless other items.
Her best win: $100,000 in a contest celebrating the 100th anniversary of Hershey's Kisses. The prize also included an appearance on a special segment of "Deal Or No Deal" back in 2007, with a chance to earn $100 million. (She didn't.)
"That's all I did: one entry," says Troutt, who lives near Fort Worth, Texas.
How can you get that lucky? Read on.
It's not just luck
First, a clarification: A contest requires some kind of "skill," even if that's just the ability to download a picture of your kid. A sweepstakes is strictly a game of chance, i.e., you don't have to do anything to enter except enter. However, I'll be using the words interchangeably, just as folks who call themselves "sweepers" also enter contests.Second: It's not just luck. Serious sweepers know how to enter. They watch for local contests, which tend to have fewer entries. They pay close attention to the rules; for example, "a 150-word essay" does not mean 50 words, or 500 words.
They enter as often as they're allowed, which can mean daily. They recognize which contests probably won't be won outright and immediately enter second-chance drawings.
Such behaviors were once described as the "three P's": patience, persistence and postage. Although some old-schoolers still enter only by mail, the Internet has made it a lot easier to sweep.
Why would companies give all this stuff away? To get attention, of course. Contests and sweepstakes encourage brand loyalty, promote new items and attract potential customers.
Of course, they're also a great way to collect data. Some contest organizers require only a name and e-mail, while others ask for addresses, phone numbers and even information on buying habits. That's why you should open an e-mail account just for these entries.
"You do get spammed. There's no way around it," says Patti Osterheld of SweepSheet, who has won furniture, nearly three dozen trips, numerous savings bonds, a piano, a trio of iPod Touches, thousands of dollars in cash and a year's worth of gas, milk and Starbucks coffee over the past two decades.
Watching for red flags
Osterheld deletes, unopened, any e-mail whose subject line doesn't include the word "congratulations!"But be wary of any "Congratulations!" e-mails for contests you don't remember entering. Many sweepers keep spreadsheets or other records of their entries (who could remember so many on his own?).
Those who subscribe to SweepsU.com can use the site's "sweeps management system." This tool keeps track of what you've entered, notifies you of deadlines and reminds you to enter as often as you're allowed.
Other signs of scam contests are e-mails that:
- Promote contests from other countries.
- Are written in poorly spelled or ungrammatical English.
- Ask for a bank-account number so your "winnings" can be deposited.
- Require a credit-card number to pay shipping and handling for your prize.
"Sometimes the red flag is there, but people don't pay attention because they think they just won something," says Giancarlo Massaro of AnyLuckyDay.com.
The "If it seems too good to be true" rule applies, even to what looks like a reputable company. To wit: the Facebook gift card scam of spring 2010. If you have questions about a contest, go to the organizer's home page or Facebook page -- directly, rather than by clicking on an e-mail or social media link -- to see if it's legit. Hint: Ikea wasn't offering $1,000 gift cards.
Continued: How to find contests
