When a prize sounds too good to be true

A message saying you have supposedly won a voucher worth several hundred euros, even though you never entered a competition, is one of the most classic signs of a voucher scam. Messages like these turn up by email, on social media or as text messages and often look deceptively genuine, with a familiar logo and a seemingly trustworthy design. The goal is almost never the voucher itself, but your personal details, your payment details or both.

Once you know how these schemes are typically set up, you can spot most of them within a few seconds, without even having to open the link.

How a fake prize draw is typically set up

It usually starts with a message announcing a big prize, together with a request to act quickly because the offer is supposedly only valid for a few hours. The link in it leads to a page that looks like a well-known shop but, on closer inspection, has a slightly different web address. There you are asked to enter personal details, often more than would be needed just to claim a prize, such as your date of birth, your address and sometimes even your card details for a supposed "shipping fee".

Typical warning signs at a glance

• Taking part in a competition you do not remember entering, combined with a supposed prize.
• Strong time pressure, such as a deadline of just a few hours to claim the prize.
• A web address that resembles a well-known name but differs from it in the details.
• A request to make a payment for a supposedly free prize, for example for shipping or processing.

Why vouchers are such a popular tool for scams

A voucher feels less binding than a direct sum of money, so many people drop their guard when "only" a voucher is on offer rather than a cash payout. At the same time, this kind of scam is easy to link to the names of well-known shops, because many people already shop there and a voucher for that very shop sounds plausible. Knowing how to spot fake online shops in general also helps with fake prize draws, because both rely on very similar tricks.

Worked example: checking whether a prize is plausible

Say a message promises you a voucher worth 500 euros because you have supposedly been chosen as the thousandth visitor to a website. A shop that regularly handed out vouchers of that size without any prior sign-up or purchase history would be giving away considerable sums without getting anything in return except your data. If the page also asks for a "processing fee" of a few euros just to unlock the 500 euros, that reversal alone shows who is actually paying here: not the supposed winner, but whoever clicked the link.

How to check a promotion before taking part

If in doubt, do not open the link in the message. Instead, go to the shop's official website directly by typing the address in yourself or using your own bookmark, and look there for any mention of the promotion. If there is no reference at all to such a competition, it is very likely a scam attempt. A look at seller reviews or a quick search for the exact wording of the message also often reveals quickly whether other people have already reported the same scam.

What to do if you have already entered your details

If you have already entered personal details, first change the password for every account where you used the same or a similar password, because many of these sites are after exactly that as well. If you have even entered card details, contact your bank or card issuer straight away so the card can be blocked if necessary, before any unauthorised payment is taken. What to do first if your account has been taken over applies here in just the same way, even if the starting point was a prize draw rather than a direct attack.

Genuine vouchers have different features

A genuine voucher or discount code usually appears where you would expect it: in a newsletter you signed up for yourself, directly in your own customer account or on a trustworthy coupon website. It also never asks for a payment before you can use it; it simply reduces the price of your next purchase. Accordingly, our coupon overview only lists codes that you redeem directly in the basket, without entering any details on a third-party site first.

The same scam on social media

As well as by email, the same basic idea often appears as a post or comment on social media, often combined with a request to share the post, comment on it or follow an unknown account before the supposed voucher is unlocked. Shared posts and lots of comments quickly make these promotions look more credible than they really are, because they give the impression of broad, genuine participation, even though some of the comments may themselves come from fake or hijacked accounts. A look at the account that actually published the promotion, such as how long it has existed and whether it otherwise fits the shop named, often tells you more than the number of comments underneath.

Frequently asked questions

Can a genuine competition also have a short entry deadline?

Yes, that alone is not a reliable warning sign. It only becomes suspicious when combined with a prize you have supposedly already won without taking part at all, or with a request for payment to claim the prize.

Is it enough just not to click the link?

In most cases, yes. Without a click on the link, the page behind it generally cannot get any data from you. It also makes sense to delete the message and not forward it.

What if I have already paid a small fee for the supposed prize?

Contact your bank or payment provider straight away to report the payment and ask whether a chargeback is possible. The faster you act, the better the chance that the money can still be recovered.

Do these fake prize draws only arrive by email?

No, the same scam also appears on social media, by text message or in messaging apps, often with a supposed sender that looks like a well-known shop or brand.