Nassau County District Attorney Denis Dillon says when it comes to sweepstakes and giveaway promotions, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Sweepstakes guaranteed winner promotions and other free prize offers are flooding the mails. While some of these opportunities may be legitimate, the DA says many of them are scam operations that are defrauding consumers out of millions of dollars each year.

Dillon said there are several variations on the general theme of guaranteed giveaway promotions. One requires the award winner to call a 900 number to confirm the prize. The winner is kept on the phone while operators take down information to verify the person's eligibility. Few callers ever get a prize. Another is the requirement that winners purchase vitamins, water purifiers, and other expensive, but worthless, products in order to qualify for awards. A third is the use of high pressure tactics to entice a winner to forget about the prize he or she has already won and, for a fee, qualify for an even better prize.

The DA said an example is a woman who complains that she responded to a postcard notifying her that she had won a prize. She said she called out of curiosity to see what she had won. The woman ended up purchasing nearly $600 worth of vitamins. She is still waiting for the prize.

Dillon said, "While it is sometimes difficult to tell a legitimate prize offer from a fraudulent one, there are some precautions you can take. Be wary of the guaranteed prize winner promotions that require you to act fast to claim your prize. Do not be pressured into buying something in order to claim your prize. Ask detailed questions about the sweepstakes and giveaways. What strings are attached? Never give your credit card number or any other personal information over the phone. One easy way for a con man to close a deal is to get your credit card number and then charge your account. When in doubt, check the reliability of the sweepstakes company with the Consumer Affairs office or the local Better Business Bureau. The bottom line is, "if it sounds to good to be true, it probably is."