I've just started entering sweepstakes, and I've noticed that some sweepstakes notify winners by email. What do winning emails look like, and how will I recognize winning notifications that arrive by email?
Many sweepstakes notify winners by email. After all, it's more convenient than a telephone call and costs less than using mail or a delivery service.
The disadvantage to email win notifications is that they can be easy to overlook. So how do winning emails look? Here are some examples of emails that you definitely want to check for wins:
- "Congratulations" in the Subject
These are usually the easiest email win notices to recognize. They have a nice, clear subject line that tell you you're a winner immediately. Here is an example of an actual winning email:
"Congratulations on winning the HARO Twitter Party Giveaway!"
If you receive an email like that, you definitely want to check it out. Just be aware that some sweepstakes scams use a similar subject line, so it's a good idea to review the warning signs of sweepstakes scams if you have any doubt.
- "Sweepstakes Name" in the Subject
Many winning emails feature the name of the sweepstakes in the subject line. Here is an example of a win notification like this that I've received:
Dickies 500 Race for the Riches Sweepstakes
Because this type of win notification doesn't say you're a winner, it's easy to overlook these, or think they're just entry confirmations. So it's a good idea to open every piece of email with a sweepstakes name in the subject line.
- "fulfillment@" as the Sender
Many big sweepstakes companies send their emails from a fulfillment email address. For example, here's one you definitely want to open:
"Sender: fulfillment@eprize"
But again, it's easy for scammers to use email addresses that follow this pattern.
- Sender is a Name
Other companies send win notifications directly from their employees. So an email from a personal name, along with an intriguing-sounding subject line, is worth a good look.
- Sender Includes a Company Name that You Recognize
If you remember entering a sweepstakes and you receive an email from that company, it's worth checking it out. It might be a confirmation or a newsletter, but you don't want to take the risk of overlooking a win.
- Use an Email Address Just for Sweepstakes - it makes it much quicker to check through all your mails for wins.
- Check Your Spam - wins can hide here.
- When in Doubt, Check it Out - it's worth the few seconds per mail to be sure you're not missing anything.
