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Important information

• Additional Info:

  On June 21, 2017, BBB has verified that the company is not registered with the Pennsylvania Department of State nor registered with the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board as required by Pennsylvania law. 

  Sweepstakes, Prize Promotions and Foreign Lotteries

  If you receive a foreign lottery notification, remember first and foremost that it is illegal for a U.S. resident to participate in a foreign lottery. It is important to remember that most sweepstakes entry forms are mostly a marketing tool; as such, they are designed either to promote a product for a business or solicit donations for a charity.

  Never disclose information regarding your financial accounts or personal identity information such as your social security number or birth date to companies you don’t know.

  A lottery is a promotional device by which items of value are awarded to members of the public by chance, but which requires some form of payment to participate. In other words, if you did not buy a ticket, you could not have won a lottery!

  Legitimate lotteries do not award cash to individuals that did not purchase a ticket. No legitimate lottery will ever notify you that you won.

  You will never have to pay fees in advance to a legitimate lottery in order to claim your winnings. Taxes and fees would be your responsibility after receipt of your winnings. Delivery costs or insurance, if any, would be paid for by the lottery.

  Do not send money. Both contributors and non-contributors should have an equal chance of winning, and it is against the law to require a participant to send money. If everyone sends in $20 to ‘claim their prize’, imagine how much money bogus companies make.

  By participating in one of these bogus lottery scams you will most likely be placed on a "sucker list" and be targeted by similar fraudulent offers in the future.

  Read the sweepstakes promotion rules and any other direct mail contents carefully to avoid being disappointed by the outcome and to ensure you follow all the rules if you enter.

  Often times the check, the envelope and the letterhead will all have different addresses on it which should also alert you to it being untruthful.

  Use common sense and be realistic: If you really won something, why would you have to pay a fee?

  What if they send me a cashier's check?  Can't I just cash it?

  ABSOLUTELY NOT! The check or money order you have received is certain to be counterfeit or stolen. If you cash it, you will be held responsible for the entire amount by your financial institution. You may also be arrested for fraud.

  But they said I have to Western Union or Money Gram them part of the check to release my winnings!

  If you did, you cannot get your money back. Once the funds are sent through Western Union and picked up at the other end, there is no trail to follow. You don't even know to where you sent the money or who actually picked it up. The funds you sent can be picked up at any Western Union or MoneyGram office anywhere in the world, by anyone who supplies the name and identification on it. It’s now illegal for telemarketers to ask for payment by:

  cash-to-cash money transfers — like those from MoneyGram and Western Union

  PINs from cash reload cards like MoneyPak and Vanilla Reload

  The amended Rule also bans telemarketers from calling to ask for your bank account information and using it to create a ‘remotely created check’ that you never see, or sign.

  If you’ve wired money to a scam artist, call the money transfer company immediately to report the fraud and file a complaint. You can reach the complaint department of MoneyGram at 800-666-3947 or Western Union at 800-448-1492.

  Ask for the money transfer to be reversed. It’s unlikely to happen, but it’s important to ask. Also file a complaint with the FTC at www.ftc.gov or call toll-free 877-382-4357.

  Check with the BBB for a company's reliability report prior to doing business.

  For more advice you can trust from your local BBB on avoiding scams and fraud, go to www.bbb.org