How to spot fake sweepstakes

Sandra Gillis has lived in Clinton Township for 14 years, and she loves spoiling her dog Elvis. One day she received a call from someone claiming that she had won a big prize. 

"He said he was from Publishers Clearing House," said Gillis. "He told me he was registered with the Better Business Bureau ... He told me that I had won a $7,000 check for this month and every month for the rest of my life."

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The caller made the offer tempting and exciting.

"Who wouldn't want to have $7,000 handed to them once a month? I mean it would be wonderful for me," Gillis said. But what the caller said next would bring Gillis' fantasy crashing down.

Why Sweepstakes Scams Are So Successful

Melanie Duquesnel, CEO of the local Better Business Bureau in Southfield, said it's easy to see why sweepstakes scams keep making the rounds.

"Sweepstakes scams work really really well because we all want something for nothing. We all want to be a millionaire or a gazillionaire," Duquesnel said.

However, you can't let that desire for sudden wealth blind you to the risks when someone calls you out of the blue saying you've won big money. One of the big red flags should be: you haven't actually entered a contest.

"Somebody calls you and says you've won a sweepstakes, but yet you never entered, how could you have won? How do they know who you are?" Duquesnel said. "Really, at the end of the day, they're not trying to give you money, they're trying to take your money."

That is exactly what Gillis discovered as her phone call continued. 

"He told me there was a registration fee and that I had to go to my local Walmart and I had to get a check for $499 from Western Union," Gillis said.

Fortunately, Gillis did the right thing. She hung up the phone and did some homework. She called Publisher's Clearing House and found out you don't have to pay a fee to win their prizes. 

"Everybody has to be aware of these types of calls," said Gillis.

Eventually the scam artist targeting Gillis gave up, but warn your friends because he might be calling someone you love next.

"Whenever you hear about an opportunity to get right quick, it's usually the biggest red flag to hang up the phone and say thank you, goodbye," Duquesnel said.

Ruth to the Rescue Scam Alert Week

This week (July 21st - July 24th) on Local 4, Ruth to the Rescue will do a new Scam Alert every day, starting at 5 p.m. We hope you will watch and tell your friends and family (especially seniors) to tune in.

Local 4 Consumer Expert Ruth Spencer will highlight some of the most common scams, as well as a newer one making the rounds. On Thursday, July 23rd, we will have a live phone bank of experts from the Better Business Bureau to answer questions about scams: How to spot them? How to handle those calls?

How to verify any claims that might disturb you?

Join us in the fight against scam artists who are trying to steal your money!