Highly suspicious of this behavior, Maryann's husband called the corporate office for the dealership that the callers claimed to be representing. Not surprisingly, they were not running any sweepstakes for a Cadillac.
Maryann was lucky enough to have legitimately won a car in 2005 from American Idol (as well as a trip to see the last two shows of the season!), so she knew that something was fishy with this kind of call. Some signs that this win notice was a scam include:
- Asking for too much unnecessary information.
- Pressuring her to answer right away or lose her prize.
- Investigation into the sweepstakes sponsor showed no legitimate contest.
If Maryann had not been alert enough to balk at providing this unnecessary information, the scammers could have gotten enough information steal her identity, opening credit cards and piling up debt in her name, ruining her good credit, and making life extremely difficult for her.
In order to ensure that you do not fall victim to a similar con game, check out the Top Signs that a Win is a Scam.
