"You've won a prize": fake prizes and trick surveys over the phone

The phone rings and an enthusiastic voice congratulates you: you've won a holiday, a top-of-the-range mobile or a gift card. Or perhaps they ask for "just two minutes" to complete a harmless survey. In both cases, the call is not what it seems. Behind the unexpected prize and the friendly survey almost always hides the same goal: to extract money, data or a contract you never wanted from you.

The prize hook: how it works

The mechanics are old, but they keep working because they play on excitement. They tell you that you've won something valuable in a raffle that, curiously, you don't recall entering. The initial euphoria lowers your defences just before the trap arrives.

The prize always comes with a condition. It's usually presented as a minor formality so you don't grow suspicious:

• "You only have to pay the shipping costs": a small amount, paid by card, that serves to capture your banking details. Sometimes the actual charge is far higher than the one announced.
• "We need to confirm your details to arrange delivery": full name, ID number, address, date of birth. Perfect material for stealing your identity.
• "Give us your card number and the security code": the definitive step to drain your account or sign you up for recurring charges.
• "We're sending you a code by SMS, read it out to us to validate the prize": that code is usually the one confirming a payment or a sign-up to a service.

The pattern is constant: to receive something "for free", you first have to hand over money or sensitive information. That is the moment when a real prize and a fake one part ways forever.

The rule that never fails

Memorise it, because it solves most of these cases: a legitimate prize never demands payment in advance, nor your PIN, your online banking password or the security code on your card. If you've genuinely won, claiming it costs you nothing. The moment an upfront payment, a "deposit", "taxes" you must advance or a request for passwords appears, you're dealing with fraud, no exceptions.

Fake surveys: the data is the prize

The second hook is more subtle. Nobody promises you anything spectacular: they simply ask you to help with a brief satisfaction survey, a market study or an assessment of your electricity, telephone or banking provider. It seems harmless, and that's precisely why it works.

These surveys pursue two things:

• Gathering your personal data: with seemingly neutral questions (age, employment status, who supplies your electricity, how much you pay each month) they build a profile that is later sold or used to fine-tune future targeted scams.
• Slipping in a contract: many "surveys" end up steering towards an offer. "As a selected customer, we're applying a discount for you — are you interested?". If you say yes, or even if your answer is ambiguous, they may process a switch of provider or sign you up for a service without your being fully aware you've accepted it.

The trick in some of these calls is to record affirmative answers out of context to later justify a contract. That's why it pays to be firm: if you have no intention of signing up for anything, don't reply with a loose "yes" to questions you don't fully understand.

Warning signs shared by both scams

Although the disguise changes (prize or survey), the warning signs are almost always the same:

• They congratulate you or select you for something you didn't do: you didn't enter any raffle, you didn't fill in any form, you don't recall giving out your number.
• There's artificial urgency: "the offer expires today", "if you don't confirm now you lose the prize", "you have to decide on this very call". Haste is the scammer's favourite tool to stop you thinking.
• They ask for data no legitimate party requests by phone: full card number, CVV, PIN, online banking passwords, codes received by SMS.
• They request an upfront payment: shipping costs, processing, taxes or a "small deposit" to release the prize.
• The number is unknown, withheld or international, or changes with each call to make it harder for you to block or identify it.
• The caller avoids giving you verifiable details: they don't state clearly which company they represent, nor provide a reference you can check on your own.

If you spot even one of these signs, you already have enough reason to be wary. When several appear at once, the conclusion is clear.

What to do

Handling these calls well is straightforward if you have your plan clear in advance:

1. Don't give out any details or card number. However convincing the voice may be, no serious company handles a prize by asking you for your CVV or PIN.
2. Don't pay anything in advance. If they ask you for money to "release" what you've won, it's a scam. Full stop.
3. Hang up without feeling guilty. You're under no obligation to continue a conversation you didn't ask for. Hanging up in time is the best defence.
4. Don't confirm or repeat "yes" to questions you don't understand, especially if the call drifts towards an offer or contract.
5. Check on your own. If you doubt whether your bank or provider really called you, hang up and contact them yourself through their official channel. Never through the number given to you by whoever called.
6. Note down the number and check whether other people have flagged it as suspicious. Consult our spam number directory or learn how to find out who's calling you to identify the source.
7. If you've already given out data or made a payment, contact your bank immediately to block the card and review the charges. The sooner you act, the easier it will be to limit the damage.

To cut down the volume of unwanted commercial calls, sign up for the Robinson List: it won't stop scammers, but it does eliminate much of the legal telemarketing that serves as cover for these scams. And if you want a general course of action, look over our guide on what to do about a suspicious call.

In short

The prize that arrives without your having entered and the survey that drags on until it becomes an offer are two sides of the same deception. Both rely on excitement, haste and trust to extract a payment or data from you that you should never give out over the phone. Remember the golden rule: what's genuinely free never demands payment first or the disclosure of your passwords.

If you've received one of these calls, help the community protect itself: report the number on NoCall. Every alert makes it easier for the next person to recognise the deception before picking up.