Asking for too much sensitive information is one of the signs of a sweepstakes scam. Some unscrupulous people take advantage of their victim's hopes of winning sweepstakes to lure them into providing information that can be used for identity theft. And yet, even legitimate sweepstakes ask for so much personal information that it can be difficult to tell what's reasonable and what's not. Here are some types of information that you might see on sweepstakes entry forms, and whether it is safe to provide this information or not.
Identification and Contact Information
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In order to contact winners and uncover duplicate entries, many sweepstakes entry forms ask for contact information like your full name, address, telephone number, and email address. Note that this information is generally a matter of public record in any case. This is totally standard for sweepstakes entry forms, and nothing to worry about. See What Information Should I Use on Sweepstakes Entry Forms? for more details.
Age and Birth Date Information
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Most sweepstakes will ask their entrants to fill out their age and/or birth date on their entry forms. There are several reasons for this: first, this information is very helpful to the sponsors for designing future marketing. Secondly, most sweepstakes have age restrictions, so this helps ensure that the entrants are really eligible. And third, there are special laws that govern collecting personal information from minors; the sponsors have to know the age of their entrants to be sure these laws are followed. Again, your age and birth date are a matter of public record, and you don't need to worry about providing them on sweepstakes entry forms.
Survey Questions
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Sponsors often use sweepstakes as a method to gather information about their products and services. They might ask about whether you've ever heard of a product, how you go about performing a certain task, or your preferences about topics related to their business. There could be just one or two questions or a whole page of feedback for you to provide. Sometimes these survey questions are optional, at other times they're required. Unless they are unreasonably long and intrusive, they are nothing to worry about.
Prize-Related Questions
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Sponsors may also ask you for information about which prize to send you if you win. This could include shoe or clothing sizes, color preferences, which activities you like best, and so on. This is standard for legitimate sweepstakes entry forms, and nothing to be concerned about.
Credit Card Information
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You should never have to pay to enter sweepstakes, so asking for a credit card is a warning signal that should warn you away from entering. The exception is websites where they attempt to sell you something alongside the sweepstake, such as a magazine subscription. In these cases, entering a credit card should be optional. If it is ever required, stay away.
Bank Account Information
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There is no reason why a legitimate sweepstakes entry form would require that you enter your bank account number. While it's possible that general information, such as where you bank or whether you use online banking might be part of a survey, you should never provide information that would identify your account information on an entry form.
Driver's License Number
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Sometimes sweepstakes, especially car sweepstakes, will require that winners have a driver's license. However, they should never ask for your driver's license number to enter. If they need that information, they will ask for it after they have chosen a winner. Your driver's license number could be used for identity theft or to cash fraudulent checks, and it should not be required on an entry form.
Social Security Number
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Sponsors often need your social security number to report winnings to the IRS - however, they will ask for your social only after you have won a prize. There is no legitimate reason to ask for a social security number on a sweepstakes entry form, and you should stay away from any sweepstakes that do. For more information about social security numbers and prizes, see Why Do Sponsors Need my Social Security Number?
