Sweepstakes Home
Sweepstakes can be fun - but shouldn't
cost you money
Sweepstakes offers sweep savings
out the door
Sweepstakes 'scams' unveiled through
series
Daughters vent their frustrations
at sweepstakes
Another area person also believed
he was a winner
USPE responds to local customers'
complaints
Attorney General wants to better
the odds in sweepstakes
Sweepstakes victim goes public
Sweepstakes industry hits unlucky
streak
Psychology lures people into buying
Sweepstakes victim getting her
money back
Sweepstakes legislation may carry
local victim's name
Buying club complaints piling up
Here's the key: Think, call BBB
before you sign
NEWS-SUN, EVENING STAR
& HERALD-
REPUBLICAN
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A message from Indiana
Attorney General Jeff Modisett:
Thanks to the sweepstakes industry, adult Americans have something
in common. More than 90 percent of adults have received a postcard
or letter telling them they may have won a prize.
Unfortunately, many people are tricked by deceptive or fraudulent
promotions that bilk hundreds of thousands of consumers out of
tens of millions of dollars a year.
Consumers, many of them elderly, read the big, bold language
declaring them a millionaire winner, not understanding that the
language in tiny print that follows completely undercuts the
"You're A Winner" message.
Whether spending a little or a life-savings, consumers routinely
make purchases with the hope - and the expectation - of increasing
their chances of winning a huge prize.
Consumers invited to testify at a national sweepstakes hearing
I held in Indianapolis told how they or their relatives had suffered
at the hands of unscrupulous sweepstakes promoters. Among those
testifying was Betty Weimer, a northern Indiana resident. She
offered poignant testimony, explaining that once a person begins
sending large payments, there is a temptation to continue simply
to recoup one's losses.
The danger that deceptive sweepstakes pose for consumers goes
far beyond their wasting money purchasing a single product or
the mistaken belief that they have won.
Those people who never enter a sweepstakes would be surprised
at the aggressive sales strategies used by the sweepstakes industry.
These strategies are designed to push consumers into making purchase
after purchase after purchase in the hope that they will win
a prize.
The sweepstakes industry concedes there is, in fact, a problem
with inappropriate purchasing decisions for a "tiny group"
of people.
Given that an estimated one billion sweepstakes promotions were
mailed to homes in the United States in 1998, however, even a
"tiny" percentage of inappropriate purchasing decisions
could mean financial run for millions of Americans.
The states are taking steps to protect consumers, including filing
lawsuits.
Other attorneys general have endorsed the recommendations of
the committee I chaired that calls upon sweepstakes promoters
to insert these facts into their mailings:
You Have Not Yet Won;
Enter for Free;
Enter as Often as You Like;
Buying Won't Help You Win.
Consumers also can be protected through education. Through web
pages such as this one, consumers can learn the facts about sweepstakes
and act accordingly.
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STAR REPORTER'S
SWEEPSTAKES SERIES WINS NATIONAL AWARD
EXCLUSIVE TO THIS WEB SITE:
A letter to The Evening Star editor
from Indiana's Attorney General
Want to read another paper's stories
about sweepstake scams?
Why do the elderly seem more susceptible
to believing sweepstakes promises? Two experts give their opinions
Why do the elderly seem more susceptible
to believing sweepstakes promises? A gerontologist shares his
studies.
Iowa has seen it before
National issue, local example,
big news
Persons to contact if you believe you may be the victim
of a sweepstakes scam:
National Association of Attorneys
General
750 First Street, NE, Suite 1100
Washington, DC 20002
PH: (202) 326-6000
FAX: (202) 408-7014
Office of Attorney
General
Steve Carter
402 W. Washington St.
Fifth Floor
Indianapolis, IN 46204
PH: (317) 232-6201
FAX: (317) 232-7979
National Fraud Information Center 1-800-876-7060
National
Consumer's League
1-202-835-3323
Federal Trade Commission 1-877-382-4357
(toll free)
E-mail
Cindy Bevington
or Evening Star
editor Dave Kurtz.
WATCH FOR ADDITIONAL STORIES EXCLUSIVE TO THIS WEB SITE!
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