Usually the offers, contests and sweepstakes you see using Rafflecopter are legitimate, at least in my experience. They're usually put on by a conglomeration of blogs that are trying to get noticed, so require you to Like a Facebook page, sign up for email list, etc., and usually you are given one entry to the sweepstakes/contest for each action you perform. When it's a combination of various blogs, they're usually related in some way, such as cooking/baking/crafts/saving money, etc., and you the prizes are relatively small, such as sometimes even just $10 via PayPal, for those starting out, and other times, the prizes are larger. I just entered one earlier that was for I believe $250, and have also seen ones recently offering prizes such as cookware or Kitchenaid mixers.
I don;t pay much attention to those facebook contests, but I have decided I am going to enter some contests, sweepstakes and raffles online as there are plenty of them to enter. Some are for small amounts of cash so they can't be that hard to win. I hope not anyway.
The internet in general and Facebook in particular is a minefield of tricks, twists and turns and only can one differentiate between fact and fiction by reading between the lines using uncanny intuition or discernment. This is a skill which is developed over time. Unfortunately for many people, experience is the best teacher. Another rule of the thumb is to read reviews concerning these offers. On a curious note, what do you mean by 'God awful'?
Well honestly you just have to use your judgement and ask yourself whether the offer in question sounds too good to be true, and even then you should research the company that is offering.
I think the best way is to stick with well-known companies. It’s easy to research the company to see if they are really promoting a sweepstakes. I remember when I won this huge prize and they were asking for my social security number. I found the company number and called to verify that this sweepstake was legit, and the person calling me actually worked for the company. I also think it’s so important to use another e-mail address when filling out forms. If not you more than likely will get a bunch of newsletters and some spam from these companies.
My motto is that if it sounds way too good to be true, then the chances are that the offer is and that it is a scam. Some of the scams are more sophisticated than others, but all they take is a closer look for you to start noticing that something is not right. facebook scams are notorious for following that formula.
My rule of thumb is just to ignore them because in as much as they're done to look very professional and convincing, they're almost always too good to be true. I also find they clutter my wall, and I don't like that at all. Like you, @DreekLass, I always have this gut feeling they're those unscrupulous shady people out to dupe anyone who falls for their tricks. Not for me at all.
I mean, when you hear that all you have to do is spend one dollar or one Great British Pound in order to get the latest Iphone delivered to your phone in the next dew days, how are people falling for that? They even had one where they had photo-shopped celebrities into the pictures to show that celebs had done it and received the item. I looked closer, and the comments were all fake.
It's ridiculous, isn't it? It may be obvious to you and me that it's a scam, but i hear of many people who still fall for this type of thing and the mind boggles!! But I guess it could be people who are new to using the internet and think they've struck lucky! But it still doesn't make any sense to me, because I've never been lured in by those things. Nothing in the world is FREE!
No, many people do not have the knowledge that we have, or even the common sense. Most people don't want to think that something that they really want being offered up for next to nothing is a scam. That hope can be a scary thing, because even though you know something in your heart, that hope will keep you seeking it out, even to your own detriment lol. If all else fails, one should google these offers.
If something is too good to be true, do not believe it. That's what I always believe in. No matter how enticing it is. Also, if a page or if an offer takes me to the official website of the manufacturer, I would believe it. Because that proved that the offer really came from the manufacturer, not just from scammers or fraudsters.
Yeah, I agree. Most scammers have typos too. If I see something that is posted and I wonder is it legit, I also like to just find the brand name site myself. Then I will enter the sweepstakes from there. People are getting really tech savvy and more and more they are making their sites look real.
I don't know really. It all seems like a marketing scam, I mean I have shared all these offer so much but I have never actually won anything. Maybe some of them are legit, some scams. The worlds isn't that black and white to be honest.
Well these are the times when reading reviews is really helpful. In most cases there are ratings or reviews posted somewhere close to the product or service itself, but of course in some there is no sign of anything, which on its own is a bit suspicious. Just make sure that you do your homework beforehand and make sure what you are getting into as best as you can.
When I see those Facebook offers I always like to think it could be scam until I'm able to get some proofs it's most probably not. I'd check out the company making the offers if it's a reputable one and also read people's reviews.
We would say, 'Of course this is a scam!' but what if it isn't? We would lose out, or miss out on some really great offers! Some of them are scams and it is easy to tell that they are. For example the winning ones. 'Like, share and you could win this fantastic garden bench!'. They want you to like and share so the advert reaches more people. At least if it is legit that is. Why do they want us to like and share if it is all a scam? Personally, I think that they are scams, I think they want us to like' because they then have our FaceBook ID, which they do with whatever they happen to do. Sharing just passes their advert around further. I doubt that anyone has ever seen, or known of a winner.
Shockingly for some individuals, experience is the best educator. The web as a rule and Facebook specifically is a minefield of traps, wanders aimlessly and just would one be able to separate amongst certainty and fiction by finding for some hidden meaning utilizing uncanny instinct or wisdom. This is an expertise which is created after some time.
Most of those offers are usually fake and just generate revenue for the culprit by you clicking the links. The easiest way to find out if an offer is legit is to copy and paste the 'most intriguing' part of the message and place it in a search engine.
