Imagine winning a sweepstakes you didn’t enter and then being told “not to tell anyone!” Your Better Business Bureaus in Colorado and east-central Wyoming have received a number of calls this week from out-of-state consumers inquiring about a sweepstakes using a phony Fort Collins address. It turns out the sweepstakes is originating out of Toronto, Canada.

The sweepstakes check for $2,394 looks real and even carries the name of a bona fide bank, which has issued its own advisory on its Web site. Recipients are asked to cash the check and return a portion of the funds to cover taxes and handling fees.

How do you determine if a sweepstakes is phony? In this case, red flags are many. The check and official notice of winning comes from an address that does not exist.

Another red flag, the letter urges the recipient to call immediately for further instructions on sending a money gram in order to receive the winnings -- and to “not tell anyone.”

So what’s wrong with this picture? Plenty, according to Your BBB:

• Foreign sweepstakes and lotteries are illegal in the United States.
  
  
• If you didn’t enter, you can’t be a winner.
  
  
• Real lotteries don't ask you to pay a fee. If you have to write a check to win a lottery prize, it's a scam. Never, ever send any money for “processing fees” or share any other financial information in order to claim a prize.
  
  

Start With Trust. Visit bbb.org or call 719-636-1155 of 1-866-206-1094 for more information about consumer scams

About the Better Business Bureau
The Mountain States Better Business Bureau is dedicated to fostering fair and honest relationships between businesses and consumers, instilling consumer confidence and contributing to an ethical business environment, in both the traditional and online marketplaces. The first BBB was founded in 1912, and the network of BBBs and the Council of Better Business Bureaus have grown to become the most recognized advocates for promoting ethical business and advertising practices in the United States.

In 2006, the Mountain States BBB provided nearly 572,000 instances of service to consumers and businesses. The BBB’s Internet self-regulation program, BBBOnLine, helps consumers identify online merchants that meet BBB standards through its Reliability and Privacy "trustmark" programs and the BBB Code of Online Business Practices.