Award Notification Commission

This business sends letters suggesting the recipient may be the winner of millions of dollars. Before responding to any solicitation, read all of the information carefully. The details of the offer may not turn out to be as expected.

Receiving the notice does not qualify the recipient to receive any prizes, especially not the million dollar prize. The company claims the odds of winning are 1 in 300 million. This may not even be accurate.  The fine print states: “It is indeterminable as to whether the actual winning number has been distributed, until after promotion end date. It is possible that there will not be a Grand Prize Winner.”This solicitation is a sweepstakes offer. The winning number is preselected and entrants must have the matching number to qualify for the winnings. If the recipient with the matching number does not respond no one wins the million dollar grand prize. Instead the company distributes lesser prizes ranging from $1,000-50.

The company’s notification is a marketing ploy used to promote items on behalf of their corporation Next-Gen, Inc. Included in the solicitation is a “Premium Offer” for $12.99 to receive a discount on items sold on their website, http://www.goshoppingmall.com.

We caution against sending money to this company, or releasing any personal information which would allow access to your bank accounts or credit information. If you have truly won a prize, there should be no redemption fees or other conditional rules to comply with in order to actually receive your prize. Watch out for smooth, fast talking, friendly callers asking for money. Most responding to similar offers received nothing for their money, or a cheap throw away item valued at far less than the redemption price. State and Federal lottery laws prohibit the practice of asking for payment to claim a prize. Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Always remember:

• You do not have to pay a fee to collect a prize.
• Never wire money to insure delivery of a prize or for any other reason.
• If you receive a check in the mail and the sender asks you to deposit it and wire back a portion of the funds, it’s a scam.
• Solicitations sent “bulk mail” is a clear indication you have not won anything. It indicated other people received the same notice.

For more information click on BCA’s Resource Guide “Recognizing Prize Scams”.