Guide
How to Check a UK Competition and Avoid Prize Scams
No single badge, website design or social-media follower count proves that a competition is genuine. A safer check combines the organiser’s identity, official terms, web address, entry request and winner-contact process.
Begin with the organiser
Find the promotion through the organiser’s official website or a trusted listing, then compare the account name and web address carefully. A verification badge can be useful context, but badges can change and genuine smaller organisations may not have one.
Look for consistent contact information and a history that makes sense. Treat a newly created impersonation account, altered spelling or unrelated web domain with caution.
Read the official terms
Useful terms should identify the promoter and explain significant conditions such as eligibility, closing date, entry method, prize, entry limits and winner selection. CAP guidance says significant conditions likely to affect participation should be clear before or at entry.
A missing or contradictory term is a reason to pause and ask the organiser. It does not help to rely on a screenshot if the current official page says something different.
Understand what website security does and does not prove
HTTPS protects information travelling between your browser and a website. It does not prove that the operator is honest. Scam sites can also use HTTPS, while visual polish is not evidence of legitimacy.
Protect personal and payment information
- Do not disclose a banking password, PIN or full card security details to claim a prize.
- Check why identity information is required before sending it.
- Be wary of requests to move immediately to an unfamiliar messaging service.
- Do not install remote-access software for a promoter.
- Check optional marketing consent separately from entry.
Check an unexpected winner message
Compare the message with a competition you actually entered. Contact the organiser using details obtained independently from its official website, not the phone number or link inside a suspicious message.
CAP rules prohibit making consumers incur a cost to claim a prize. Legitimate fulfilment can still involve practical questions such as delivery or travel arrangements, so check the original terms and challenge any unexpected payment demand.
Warning signs
- You cannot identify the original competition.
- The sender uses a lookalike account or domain.
- You are pressured to act immediately.
- The prize or claim process contradicts the published terms.
- You are asked for secrecy, gift cards, cryptocurrency or remote computer access.
- The organiser cannot confirm the message through an independent contact route.
Where to report concerns
- Action Fraud for fraud and cybercrime reports in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
- Advertising Standards Authority for potentially misleading promotional advertising.
- Gambling Commission for concerns about illegal gambling arrangements.
- The reporting tools provided by the relevant social network.
You can also report an incorrect Winning UK listing. Include the page URL and the official source supporting the correction.
Check before you enter
Prevention is easier than recovering from a scam. Use our before-you-enter checklist to verify the promoter, terms, dates and contact route before sharing information.