If you are a relative newcomer to the glittering, jewel-rich world of Internet Sweepstaking, you may find the process of finding and submitting your sweepstake entries a tad overwhelming. First and foremost, there are the rotten apples of the keg – or the scams – which you must be aware of and have the ability to identify in a flash.
Once you have gained the knowledge of sweepstakes you will learn to spot a legitimate sweepstake in an instant and will no longer have to put up with dodgier con-artists in the biz. One downside to sweepstaking that puts many people off is the legal mumbo-jumbo / terms & conditions / privacy policies etc, which seem terribly serious and fierce. It is important that you always abide by the regulations so that you don’t waste your time and effort completing entries that are invalid. If however, it seems like a little too much hard work, read on; you’ll soon learn to enter and win sweepstakes with the Sweepstake Advantage and a common sense approach.
Identifying Legitimate Sweepstakes from the Outset
The first step to take is identification. Although the majority of websites are legit, there are always a few scam-artists who are out to con you. To identify these, you need to begin by reading the website’s privacy policy. This tells you what the website will be doing with your personal details and contact information. A very obvious tell-tale sign of a scam site is a sweepstake that requests an entry fee – Never EVER, enter a sweepstake that asks for an entry fee. These are sure to be downright fraudsters on the make for a quick buck. Likewise do NOT enter a sweepstake that asks for credit card information, your bank account number or your social security number.
The second thing you must do is check to see that the Sweepstakes have clear rules laid out in their terms and conditions. Make a point of reading these rules and just avoid any sweepstake contests which don’t have a rule book.
Finally, just like anything in life, you should rely on your instincts. If your gut feeling tells you to avoid it, and then listen, leave the website well alone and move onto a legitimate site – no matter how tempting the prizes may be.
Utilize a ‘Sweepstakes’ Email address
As you begin entering sweepstakes, you will notice you start to receive hundreds, if not thousands of e-mails. Some of these are marketing e-mails from the sweepstake sponsors, some are newsletters you may have signed up for, some are promotional and of course some are simply spam.
The most efficient way to manage this influx of e-mail is to utilize a separate email address, purely for use during Sweepstake entries. You can simply get a free email account from Gmail, Yahoo or Hotmail, but another, more useful option, is to buy a domain and set up your own email. This is good for a few reasons; 1) many sites no longer allow you register or sign up with a free email address such as Gmail because of all the abuse these free accounts have endured by spammers. 2) With your own domain you can set up countless identities, you can set up a ‘catchall e-mail account and you can delete accounts very easily when they become obsolete.
Set up you online profile before you begin
Sponsors of sweepstakes tend to be very strict about the accuracy of the information you provide. The slightest signs of discrepancy can get you disqualified. Very often discrepancies arise from naïve ignorance or sheer carelessness. So, in order to remain as accurate as possible you should decide beforehand what details your online ‘sweepstakes persona’ is going to contain; address, telephone numbers, date of birth, email address etc. The best software to use for this job is Roboform Pro, which allows you to set up unlimited identities.
Prize winners are most commonly notified by telephone and these calls are made at any time of the day. So, carry a cell phone and provide that number in your entries.
Completing elaborate registration forms is what every sweeper dreads. It takes too much time and leaves room for human errors. Again, this is where Roboform Pro proves priceless. A tiny spelling mistake can prove costly, but with Roboform, one click is all you need to fill in the form. Remember, it’s not just ease; you are also saving time and increasing your chances of winning the big one.
It is important to enter sweepstakes with care so that every entry you send out has more likelihood of being the winning one. With a little care and caution at the time of entering you will triple your chances of winning the prizes you dream of.
