Several businesses use fake contests to attract new customers. These can be in the form of a letter, an email, a social media post or a phone call informing you that you have won a prize or that you have been selected to take part in an exclusive promotion.

These are not real contests, as you will probably have to dip into your wallet to get your prize.

Precautions you can take

In many cases, you will have to send money or purchase a product or a subscription to get your prize or gift. Beware of these types of contests and promotions. If the offer interests you, take the following precautions:

• Carefully read all of the documentation, especially the fine print.
• If you have to purchase a product to receive your prize, compare its value with a similar product sold by a major retailer, and think about the shipping, handling and return fees (which may be necessary in the end).
• Read about the conditions to exchange the product or get a refund.
• Make sure the merchant’s name and address appear on the documents. Be especially cautious if the address is a post office box.
• Be careful if the merchant is based outside Québec, in which case it will be more difficult to exercise your recourse options if there is a problem.
• In the case of a subscription, pay attention to the conditions: length of the subscription, number of purchases required, cancellation policy, etc.

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