Yesterday I was featured as a “sweepstakes expert” on a weekend edition of Good Morning America. GMA wanted to show that there are sweepstakes scams out there to watch out for and also that it takes time to win. They also wanted to show that some of these scams can come in the form of pop-up windows. All of this is true.
They covered the story as if they were newbies and didn’t have any knowledge about what is and is not a scam and they showed that yes, you can easily get a lot of junk mail, get phone calls, and get your credit card charged if you are not careful.
On Sweeties Sweeps I teach how to watch out for these scams they were talking about and that reading the official rules goes a long way in protecting yourself.
In the 16 years I have been entering and winning prizes from sweepstakes I can say that I never get junk mail, do not get random calls from telemarketers, and have not gotten an erroneous charge on my credit card. The reason why is that I know the tell-tell signs of a scam sweepstakes and never enter them.
Here are some things you should watch out for when entering sweepstakes:
- NEVER give out your credit card when entering a sweepstakes
- always read the rules FIRST to find out if they sell your information to third party companies
- always read the rules FIRST to see if you are being charged if you entering by texting
- NEVER give out your Social Security Number
While I don’t agree with some of the things they said I am happy that they used me as the expert and showed many of the prizes I have actually won from legitimate sweepstakes over the years. Sweeping might not be worth it for some but for the people who call this a hobby it’s worth every bit of time and effort we put into it.
Sign up for my free SWEEPING 101 eCourse to learn what you need to do to watch out for scams and become a consistent winner. There are definite DOs and DON’Ts in this hobby and to reap the benefits you want to understand what you are getting into.
Remember, an informed Sweeper is a Safe and Happy Sweeper!
Here is the video if you haven’t seen it and here is the link to the article on the GMA website.
Note: I do not approve nor suggest the top sweepstakes sites GMA is telling you about in their article. I suggest you stay away from them because they are promoting a lot of scam sweepstakes.
THANK YOU for ALL your posts…I’ve learned a lot and hope to win something big in the future 🙂 May God bless you!
I saw you on GMA, checked out your web site and won an instant win ($25 GC). Thanks for a great service.
Congratulations for being on GMA. I love reading your posts.
The show was really negative and biased against sweeps. I have won lots of stuff enteirng sweeps and don’t get telemarketers calling me or a lot of spam in my email box. GMA really doesn’t have a clue what they are talking about!
I feel you were ambushed-you are a classy lady and we all know that!
Thanks for all your hard work Wendy! I have been “sweeping’ with you for well over a year now and have won some great prizes (my favorite still being that stupid little burger timer!) No negative experiences here!
Thanks for all you do! You’re awesome. I love your newsletter and have won lots of little sweeps from your Sweeties Picks!
Your segment was great. The smug jerks in the studio-very annoying! Thanks for what you do, Wendy.
That was pretty stupid for a big network to show that segment. It basically proved that no research on the matter was done. There is a big difference between entering information on those pop up verse entering legitimate sweepstakes. A proof of really bad TV. Shame on GMA. But on another note you looked great. Thanks for you website.
Please post the video again. The page is blank where you say you posted the video.