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Sweepstakes & Prizes

Consumer Basics

Sweepstakes & Prizes

Sweepstakes and lotteries may be scams in disguise.

Hearst’s CMAs Sweepstakes

Ad Alert

Hearst’s CMAs Sweepstakes

TINA.org reader says contest signed him up for a magazine subscription without his permission.

Cumulus Media Radio Stations $1,000 Giveaway Sweepstakes

Class Action

Cumulus Media Radio Stations $1,000 Giveaway Sweepstakes

In August 2018, a class-action lawsuit was filed against Cumulus Media (a radio stations operator) for allegedly misleading listeners about their chances of winning a $1,000 Giveaway sweepstakes by making…

“SpongeBob” Splashpants Sweepstakes

Ad Alert

“SpongeBob” Splashpants Sweepstakes

Nickelodeon ran ads for its “SpongeBob” Splashpants Sweepstakes, which directed children to a website where they could enter a sweepstake with the grand prize of a Nickelodeon Cruise featuring SpongeBob…

Sweepstakes for HMI’s FILTERQUEEN Products

Class Action

Sweepstakes for HMI’s FILTERQUEEN Products

April 2019: A federal judge granted preliminary approval of a proposed settlement agreement that would provide class members with either a $300 voucher for HMI Filtration products or a $100…

Boy Scouts of America

Ad Alert

Boy Scouts of America

Self-regulatory group says sweepstakes advertising wasn’t clear enough on odds of winning.

Publishers Clearing House

Class Action

Publishers Clearing House

March 2019: A federal judge dismissed this action concluding that plaintiffs lacked standing and failed to allege the specific factual allegations required to state a claim for relief. The judge…

Fragrant Jewels

Ad Alert

Fragrant Jewels

Reader alerts TINA.org to ring candle purveyor.

Before You Take that Call Beware of Telemarketing Scams

Consumer News

Before You Take that Call Beware of Telemarketing Scams

Although legitimate companies may use the telephone to advertise their products or services, consumers should be wary of some who call trying to obtain your financial or personal information for…

FTC Helping Military Consumers Avoid Scams

Consumer News

FTC Helping Military Consumers Avoid Scams

Active servicemembers and veterans are frequent targets of scams and deceptive ads.

Foreign Lottery Emails

Ad Alert

Foreign Lottery Emails

We received a spam email regarding a winning ticket to the Canada-UK Lottery. The FTC warns that many scam operators are based in Canada, which is where this email is…

Identity Theft Tops Consumer Complaints in 2013

Consumer News

Identity Theft Tops Consumer Complaints in 2013

Consumers reported losses of more than $1.6 billion in fraud in 2013.

The Children’s Advertising Review Unit (CARU)

Resources

The Children’s Advertising Review Unit (CARU)

The Children’s Advertising Review Unit (CARU), a unit of the Advertising Self-Regulatory Council, is the advertising industry’s primary self-regulatory organization responsible for monitoring ad content – across all media channels…

Record Number of Consumers Report Fraud

Consumer News

Record Number of Consumers Report Fraud

Identify theft again leads the way with the most filed complaints in 2012.

Can You Win the African Lottery?

Ad Alert

Can You Win the African Lottery?

Playing foreign lotteries is illegal. Do not reply to an e-mail like this or provide any information to the sender. For more information, check out TINA.org’s article on sweepstakes and…

Direct Marketing Association

Consumer Basics

Direct Marketing Association

The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) is a trade group made up of all those pesky companies we have to thank for telemarketing, spam, and junk mail, among others. The group…

What You Should Know about the Trivia App Givling