Avoiding Competition Scams

The Reality of Competition Scams

While the vast majority of UK competitions are legitimate, scammers exploit the excitement around free prizes to steal money, personal data, and identities. Understanding the threats helps you enjoy comping safely.

The Most Common Competition Scams

1. Fake Social Media Giveaways

How they work: Scammers create accounts impersonating real brands or celebrities, post "giveaways" with valuable prizes, collect entries, then either disappear or contact "winners" to extract money or information.

Red flags:

• Account created recently
• Few followers or engagement
• No verified badge where expected
• Multiple giveaways with no previous winners
• Poor grammar and spelling
• Profile links to suspicious websites
• Comments disabled or deleted

Example scam: "HUGE GIVEAWAY! We're giving away 50 iPhone 15s! Just follow us and retweet to enter! DM us with your address to claim!"

A real brand would never DM asking for personal details before winner verification.

2. "You've Won!" Phishing Messages

How they work: Scammers send messages claiming you've won a competition, then request personal information, payment for "delivery fees," or direct you to phishing websites.

Common channels:

• Instagram DMs
• Facebook Messenger
• Email
• SMS text messages
• WhatsApp

Warning signs:

• You don't remember entering
• Message from unofficial account
• Urgency ("claim within 24 hours")
• Requests for payment of any kind
• Requests for bank details
• Links to unfamiliar websites
• Poor English or generic greetings

3. Data Harvesting Competitions

How they work: Fake competitions are created solely to collect personal information for sale or identity theft. They may appear legitimate but have no intention of awarding prizes.

Identifying characteristics:

• Excessive information requests
• No clear privacy policy
• Unknown or unverifiable promoter
• No terms and conditions
• Requests for unnecessary sensitive data
• "Required" marketing opt-ins

4. Advance Fee Scams

How they work: After telling you that you've "won," scammers request payment for taxes, customs, delivery, insurance, or processing fees before releasing your prize.

The truth: Legitimate UK competitions NEVER require winners to pay anything. Tax implications are the winner's responsibility to handle with HMRC, never collected by the promoter upfront.

5. Survey Scam Sites

How they work: Websites promise prizes for completing surveys, then either:

• Never actually award prizes
• Sell your data to third parties
• Enrol you in expensive subscriptions
• Harvest sensitive information

Red flags:

• Unrealistic prize promises
• Endless surveys before "qualification"
• Required purchases to "unlock" prizes
• Requests for card details for "free" prizes
• Too-good-to-be-true offers

How to Verify Legitimate Competitions

The 5-Point Verification Check

Before entering any competition, verify:

1. Official source

• Is this the brand's official account/website?
• Can you find the competition announced elsewhere?
• Does the website URL match the brand?

2. Terms and conditions

• Are full T&Cs available?
• Do they include promoter details?
• Is there a closing date?
• Are prize details specific?

3. Promoter identification

• Who is running the competition?
• Can you find their contact details?
• Are they a registered UK company?

4. Prize legitimacy

• Is the prize realistic for this brand/promotion?
• Are there specific prize details, not just "great prizes"?
• Does the prize value match the brand's likely budget?

5. Historical evidence

• Has this account run competitions before?
• Were previous winners announced?
• Can you find evidence of past winners?

Verification Resources

For social media accounts:

• Check for verified badges (blue ticks)
• Look at account age and post history
• Compare to brand's other official channels
• Check follower authenticity (fake followers indicate fake accounts)

For websites:

• Look for HTTPS (padlock icon)
• Check domain registration (WHOIS lookup)
• Search for reviews of the promoter
• Verify contact information is real

Protecting Your Personal Data

Data Safety Principles

Only share what's necessary: Most legitimate competitions need minimal information:

• Name
• Email address
• Sometimes age verification

Be suspicious if asked for:

• Full bank details
• Credit card numbers
• Passport or ID numbers
• National Insurance number
• Excessive personal details

Privacy Policy Review

Before entering, check the privacy policy for:

• How your data will be used
• Whether data is shared with third parties
• How to request data deletion
• GDPR compliance statements

Red flag: No privacy policy or extremely vague data usage terms.

Managing Marketing Consent

Legitimate competitions usually offer opt-in checkboxes for marketing. Best practices:

• Only tick boxes you're comfortable with
• Unticked boxes shouldn't affect entry validity
• Read what you're consenting to
• Unsubscribe from unwanted emails after competition ends

Using a Dedicated Email

Your competition email provides a buffer:

• Keeps spam separate from personal email
• Easier to identify suspicious messages
• Simpler to manage and filter
• Can be changed if compromised

What to Do If You're Targeted

If You Receive a Suspicious Message

Immediate steps:

1. Don't click any links
2. Don't reply with personal information
3. Don't send any money
4. Screenshot the message
5. Block the sender

Verification steps:

• Check if you actually entered that competition
• Contact the brand directly through official channels
• Search for reports of similar scams

If You've Already Engaged

If you shared information:

1. Change passwords for any accounts using that email
2. Monitor accounts for suspicious activity
3. Consider credit monitoring services
4. Report to Action Fraud

If you made a payment:

1. Contact your bank immediately
2. Report fraud to Action Fraud
3. Document everything
4. Accept that funds may not be recoverable

Reporting Scams

Reporting helps protect others. Report to:

Action Fraud: The UK's national fraud reporting centre

• Website: actionfraud.police.uk
• Phone: 0300 123 2040

Social Media Platforms:

• Use built-in reporting features
• Report fake accounts impersonating brands

Advertising Standards Authority (ASA): For misleading advertising and promotions

• Website: asa.org.uk

Trading Standards: For consumer protection issues

• Contact through Citizens Advice

Safe Comping Practices

Daily Habits

Before entering:

• Verify the competition source
• Check for terms and conditions
• Assess information requests
• Trust your instincts

Account security:

• Use strong, unique passwords
• Enable two-factor authentication
• Regularly review account activity
• Keep software updated

Red Flag Checklist

Print or save this checklist:

☐ Competition from unverified account ☐ No terms and conditions available ☐ Payment required to enter or claim ☐ Excessive personal information requested ☐ Pressure to act immediately ☐ Too good to be true prizes ☐ Poor grammar/spelling from "big brand" ☐ Unable to verify promoter identity ☐ No closing date specified ☐ Winner contacted via DM without verification

If ANY box is checked, investigate further before proceeding.

Special Situations

Competitions Requiring Purchases

Legitimate purchase-required promotions:

• Clearly state "purchase necessary"
• Offer clear entry mechanism (codes, receipts)
• Have verifiable brand sponsorship
• Include standard T&Cs

Scam indicators:

• Required purchases from unknown sites
• Payment for "processing" or "administration"
• No clear connection to established brands

Prize Claims

When you legitimately win:

• Brands contact you via official channels
• You verify your entry before providing details
• No payment is ever required
• Delivery is arranged without charge

Stay suspicious if:

• Contact is from unofficial account
• Urgency is emphasised
• Payment is requested
• Communication is unprofessional

International Competitions

Extra caution is warranted for non-UK competitions:

• Different consumer protection laws
• Currency conversion scams
• Import duty claims may be legitimate but verify
• Language barriers can mask red flags

Building Scam Resilience

Community Protection

The comping community helps identify scams. Participate by:

• Sharing warnings about known scams
• Asking others before entering suspicious competitions
• Reporting scams to competition forums
• Helping newcomers learn to identify risks

Staying Informed

Scam tactics evolve. Stay updated via:

• Comping community discussions
• Action Fraud alerts
• Consumer protection news
• Platform security updates

The Bottom Line

A healthy skepticism protects you without ruining the fun. Most competitions ARE legitimate, but the minority of scams can cause real harm. Verify before you enter, never pay to win, and trust your instincts when something feels wrong.

Remember: If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.