Consumers lose millions of dollars responding to post cards and phone calls offering fabulous prizes such as expensive cars and dream vacations. Many people who receive these wonderful offers find they are required to pay "shipping and handling fees" or "gift taxes" in order to get the prizes. If a prize is sent, the product often is cheaply made and worth only a fraction of what you paid.

If you respond to one bogus offer, your name will be put on what con artists call a "sucker list", and that list will be sold to other prize promotion operators.

Save yourself a lot of aggravation and money. If you receive a bogus contest offer, just toss it!

How Do You Know If A Contest Is Phony?

• If you did not enter a contest, it is unlikely you have won one.

• A genuine "free prize" has no strings attached and should not require a purchase.  Never respond to sweepstakes offers that require you to buy something first.

• If someone asks for your credit card or checking account number, hang up the phone!

• Just because you have seen the contest ad in legitimate publications, does not mean the company offering the contest is legitimate.

• Be wary of offers that entice you to call 900 numbers in order to claim a free gift. The charge for the 900 number will likely cost you more than the gift is worth.

• Read the fine print. Few, if any, consumers who respond to prize offers actually win anything worth as much money as they spend. The majority lose money.

• If it sounds too good to be true, it is probably a scam.

If you have any doubt at all about the legitimacy of a contest offer, just toss it!