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If someone says you won a sweepstakes prize but must pay first, stop: the Federal Trade Commission says a fee to claim a prize—or a payment to improve your odds—is a scam signal. Don’t click the message’s links, share financial or sensitive personal information, or use contact details supplied by the claimant. Verify the promotion independently; if you already paid or shared information, act quickly and report it.
What a sweepstakes scam looks like
A scammer may contact you by phone, text, email, social media, or mail with news of a cash prize or valuable item. You may not remember entering. The sender might use a familiar company or government name, then invent a hurdle—such as taxes, shipping, processing, customs, or account verification—to get money or personal information.
The FTC’s core rule is direct: “If you have to pay to get your prize, it’s a scam.” A genuine sweepstakes is free to enter and based on chance; paying to increase your odds is also a warning sign. The FTC further says that no real sweepstakes company will demand money for a prize. FTC guidance on fake prize, sweepstakes, and lottery scams
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Warning signs to check before responding
- An upfront charge: You are told to pay taxes, shipping and handling, a processing fee, or customs duties before receiving the prize.
- A payment to improve your odds: You must buy something or pay to get a better chance of winning.
- A request for sensitive information: The claimant asks for your bank account number, credit-card number, Social Security number, or other personal information as a condition of claiming. The FTC says there is no reason to provide a bank or card number or Social Security number to claim a prize.
- Pressure to act immediately: The sender threatens that you will lose the prize unless you respond or pay at once.
- Hard-to-recover payment methods: You are told to use gift cards, a wire transfer, a payment app, cash, or cryptocurrency.
- A check-and-refund scheme: You are sent a check, told to deposit it, and asked to return some of the money. A bank may make funds appear available before it discovers the check is fake; you may then be responsible for the money you sent.
- Official-sounding identity or branding: A recognized name, logo, or caller ID does not prove the offer is genuine. Impersonators can use familiar names and spoof caller ID. FTC Office of Inspector General guidance on imposter scams
- An unsolicited prize or gift-card link: Don’t click. The FTC warns that such links may expose you to malware.
Be especially skeptical of an unexpected call about a contest you did not enter. In a March 10, 2026 alert, the FTC warned that callers may invent fees after claiming you won. FTC alert about random calls claiming you won a prize
Fake claim versus a promotion worth checking
| What to examine | Suspicious claim | What to look for when checking a promotion |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | You must pay to claim the prize or improve your odds. | A real sweepstakes is free to enter; a demand for an advance fee is a stop sign. |
| Information | You are asked for bank or card details or your Social Security number to claim. | Do not provide those details to claim a prize. |
| Pressure and contact | The claimant imposes an urgent deadline or supplies the only phone number or link to verify the offer. | Find the organizer’s contact information independently and ask whether the notice is genuine. |
| Payment method | You are told to send gift cards, a wire transfer, money through a payment app, cash, or cryptocurrency. | Do not send money to claim a purported prize. |
| Entry and rules | You do not remember entering, or the claimant cannot be independently verified. | Check whether you entered and whether the organizer can confirm the promotion and its rules. |
Legitimate promotions can differ in how they notify winners and handle redemption, so no single notification format proves a promotion is real. For promoters calling consumers, FTC guidance says they must disclose that entry is free, the prizes and their value, the odds of winning, and how to redeem a prize. This disclosure requirement is specific to the calling context described in the guidance, not a universal checklist for every promotion type or jurisdiction. FTC consumer guidance
How to verify a prize notice safely
- Pause and do not engage through the message. Don’t reply, click a link, call the number shown, or use callback details supplied by the claimant.
- Find the organizer independently. Search for its real website and contact information yourself. Contact the organization through those details and ask whether the promotion and notification are genuine. Caller ID is not reliable proof of identity.
- Check the name and contest. Search the company or contest name along with terms such as “review,” “complaint,” or “scam.” Treat search results as an additional check, not a guarantee that an offer is legitimate.
- Stop if there is a pay-to-claim demand. Do not pay a fee, buy something to improve your odds, or provide sensitive information to unlock a supposed prize.
The government will not call demanding payment to collect a prize, according to the FTC. FTC guidance on prize scams
What to do if you already paid or shared information
- End contact and send nothing else. Don’t provide more money or information, including a purported fee to recover the prize or reverse a payment.
- If you deposited a check and returned money, call your bank promptly. Explain that the check may be fraudulent. The apparent availability of funds does not mean the check has cleared.
- Contact the payment provider you used. Reach your bank, card issuer, or payment service and ask what steps are available for that specific transaction. The sooner you act, the better, but recovery is not guaranteed.
- If your personal information was misused, use IdentityTheft.gov. Follow its recovery steps for identity theft.
- Report the scam. Submit a report to ReportFraud.ftc.gov. The FTC also recommends contacting your state attorney general and local consumer-protection office. If the promotion arrived by mail, report it to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
- Warn people who may receive similar messages. Share the warning with friends or family.
How widespread are reported sweepstakes losses?
AARP reported that FTC data showed consumers reported $145 million in losses to prize, sweepstakes, and lottery scams in 2024—more than $18 million above the prior year. This is a reported-loss figure attributed to FTC data by AARP, not an estimate of every victim’s losses or an individual’s chance of being targeted. AARP’s sweepstakes scam guidance, updated June 17, 2026
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