Great Rail Adventure

Trains.com - Great Rail Adventure Sweepstakes

One Grand Prize consisting of a seven day, six night Rockies, Sierra and Napa rail adventure for two with GrandLuxe Rail Journeys and Accent on Travel USA. The tour begins in Denver, Colorado and ends in Oakland, California. During the tour, 6 nights will be spent onboard the train in a Vintage Pullman cabin or upgraded accommodations at the time of trip departure. Day 1 Arrive in Denver, Colorado - dinner and overnight accommodations aboard the train included. Day 2 Rail through the Colorado Rockies - breakfast, lunch, dinner, and overnight accommodations aboard the train included. Day 3 Arches and Canyonlands National Parks - breakfast, lunch, dinner, and overnight accommodations aboard the train included. Day 4 Salt Lake City, Utah - breakfast, lunch, dinner, and overnight accommodations aboard the train included. Day 5 Lake Tahoe, Nevada and the Sierra Nevada - breakfast, lunch, dinner, and overnight accommodations aboard the train included. Day 6 Napa Valley, - breakfast, lunch, dinner, and overnight accommodations aboard the train included. Day 7 Oakland, California - breakfast, lunch, dinner, and overnight accommodations aboard the train included.

Check out this sweepstake and many others at www.myfreesweeps.com

Enter Sweepstakes and Contests With One Click at myfreesweeps.com

Enter Sweepstakes and Contests With One Click at myfreesweeps.com

GMC LIFESTYLE SWEEPSTAKES

ONE (1) GRAND PRIZE: Grand Prize package will consist of the following two (2) elements -
Winner's choice of any Current Model year GMC Vehicle - Approximate Retail Value ("ARV") not to exceed $61,000. ARV of Grand Prize is based on the projected Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price. Grand prize vehicle excludes commercial vehicles. Winner is responsible for vehicle registration, license, title and insurance fees and for all costs associated with any available upgrade/option packages and any other expenses related to the acceptance and use of the prize not specified herein. Winner must take delivery of vehicles within 30 days of notice of availability from winner-selected GMC dealer near winner's residence, subject to Sponsor's approval. Winner will be responsible for registration, license, title and insurance fees and cost of any available optional equipment not provided with vehicle. Winner must a have valid U.S. driver's license and proof of insurance to take delivery. Vehicle color, options and equipment will be determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion.
$10,000 Lowe's Gift Card – Gift Card is redeemable at any U.S. Lowe's retail location or online at www.lowes.com for merchandise and services only. Card is not redeemable for cash or valid as payment on Lowe's credit card and is subject to terms and conditions of Issuer.

Enter this great sweep and many others today at www.myfreesweeps.com.

Big Break Reunion Sweepstakes

One (1) Grand Prize (“GP”): The Grand Prize consists of a trip to be shared by winner and three (3) guests (“Guests”) to Reunion Resort located in Reunion, Florida (“Trip”). Trip includes round-trip coach class air transportation for winner and Guests to Orlando, Florida, economy rental car for five (5) days, four (4) nights, lodging accommodations in one of The Big Break “Contestant Houses” where The Big Break VII: Reunion was filmed, for five (5) days, four (4) nights; three (3) rounds of golf per person (twelve rounds total) at The Ginn Reunion Resort (one round on the Legacy Course, one round on the Independence Course, and one round on the Tradition Course per person).

Find this sweepstake and many others at www.myfreesweeps.com

Boboli's Instant Win game

Play the BOBOLI TOUCHDOWN SHUFFLE Instant Win Game, and you could end up making your favorite Boboli recipe in a kitchen full of beautiful KitchenAid appliances. Or win one of hundreds of other great prizes being given away including a Sharp 46" HDTV AQUOS Liquid Crystal Television and Home Theater Sound System.

Enter today at http://www.bobolipromotions.com/splash.cfm?flash=true or find this great sweepstake and many others at www.myfreesweeps.com.

Trip for 2 to Jamaica

You'll win a 4-day/3-night trip from Sandals Resorts, The Carribean's #1 Ultra All-Inclusive Luxury Resorts, created exclusively for couples in love. Your trip will include luxurious accommodations, gourmet dining, unlimited premium brand drinks, nightly entertainment, all land and water sports, gratuities, and transfers to and from the airport. Air Jamaica will provide two round-trip tickets from 10 major airports in the U.S.

Check out this great sweep and many more at www.myfreesweeps.com

Classic Sweepstakes | Food & Wine

Classic Sweepstakes Food & Wine: "Enter our online sweepstakes for a chance to win two tickets to the 25th Annual Food & Wine Magazine Classic in Aspen from June 15 to 17, 2007. The prize includes airfare and lodging for two, two tickets to our invitation-only Best New Chefs dinner and a superluxe 2007 Chrysler Aspen Limited SUV, courtesy of Chrysler."

Enter this great sweepstake and many others at www.myfreesweeps.com.

The Great Escape Sweepstake

Baby, it’s cold outside! Get away to the warmth of Mexico. Preferred Hotels & Resorts and Orbitz are giving one winner and a guest a five-day, four-night all-inclusive trip to the adults-only, five-star resort, Secrets Capri Riviera Cancun. Trip includes airfare, meals, drinks, entertainment and taxes. Does not include transfers. Valid March 1, 2007–February 29, 2008; subject to availability and blackout dates. Total value: $5,300.

Find this sweepstake and many other great contests at www.myfreesweeps.com

Enter to win the "Family Fun Magic Tour" sweepstakes at MyFreeSweeps.com

Enter for your chance to make your dreams come true at Walt Disney World!

Enter FamilyFun's Family Magic Tour sweepstakes for a chance to win an especially memorable vacation at Walt Disney World. You and your family can come live out Disney dreams like never before during The Year of a Million Dreams, a first-of-its-kind event celebrating your dreams and the dream-making magic that Disney Cast Members create for our Guests every day at the Disneyland® Resort in Southern California and the Walt Disney World® Resort in Florida. And, your family will also take part in a "Family Magic Tour" -- an exciting scavenger hunt through the Magic Kingdom.

Experience new attractions and shows in all of our Theme Parks on both coasts! The Year of a Million Dreams

celebration continues through the end of 2007. Come live your dream at the Disney Parks, Where Dreams Come True!

You can find this sweepstakes and others at www.myfreesweeps.com. Join today and receive your membership FREE!

Dream Home : Dream Home 2007 : HGTV Dream Home 2007 Sweepstakes: Prizes : Home & Garden Television

Dream Home : Dream Home 2007 : HGTV Dream Home 2007 Sweepstakes: Prizes : Home & Garden Television: "GRAND PRIZE

You can enter once a day for your chance to win the 2007 HGTV Dream Home Giveaway! The HGTV Dream Home is located in the exciting resort community of Winter Park, Colorado - it's the ultimate ski accessory!

A prize package worth more than $2.5 million including:

* A 2007 GMC® Acadia™
* 3,000 square feet of American Walnut hardwood flooring from Lumber Liquidators
* $250,000 in cash from LendingTree.com
* A Doggy Dream Home from Iams®"

Enter this great sweepstake and many others at www.myfreesweeps.com

GMC Sweepstakes

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to let you know about this great sweepstake that our team just found. It is the GMC Lifestyle Sweepstakes. Here is some information on it:

GMC LIFESTYLE SWEEPSTAKES
OFFICIAL RULES

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. PURCHASE DOES NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCE OF WINNING.

PROMOTION DESCRIPTION: The GMC Lifestyle Sweepstakes ("Sweepstakes") is offered on the internet and at select GMC events, only in the 50 United States and District of Columbia ("U.S."). Sweepstakes begins at 12:00 AM Eastern Time ("ET") on 1/1/07 and ends at 11:59 PM ET on 12/31/07 ("Promotion Period").

SPONSOR: General Motors Corporation, 100 Renaissance Center, Detroit, MI 48265.

ADMINISTRATOR: Exposure Marketing, Inc., 1000 North Opdyke Rd, Auburn Hills, MI 48326.

ELIGIBILITY: The Promotion is open only to legal residents of the U.S. who are at least 18 years of age with a valid driver's license at the time of entry ("Entrant"). Employees, directors and officers and their immediate families (spouses and siblings, parents and children and their spouses) and household members of General Motors Corporation ("Sponsor"), Digitas LLC, Exposure Marketing, Inc. ("Administrator") and their respective parent companies, subsidiaries and affiliates, distributors, dealerships and companies involved in the implementation and execution of the Sweepstakes (collectively the "Sweepstakes Entities") are not eligible. Sweepstakes is void in Puerto Rico, and other US Commonwealths, Territories and jurisdictions (including overseas military installations) and where prohibited.

You can find this and many other great sweepstakes at www.myfreesweeps.com.

Satellite Radio Sweepstakes

Satellite Radio Sweepstakes Page

Want to win an XM or Sirius Radio Satellite System:

Here is a great sweepstake that you do not want to miss out on. This company draws a new winner every day for a satellite radio system. How cool would that be to win one of the gadgets that has revolutionized how we listen to music? For those of you that do not know what a Satellite Radio system is here is the Wikipedia definition:

"A satellite radio is a special digital radio that receives signals broadcast by communications satellite. This allows the listener to follow a single channel no matter where he or she is because the signal's reach is not limited by station power (as long as there are no major obstructions, such as buildings, in the line of sight between the antenna and the satellite)."


Enter to win a Siruis or XM Satellite Radio System today

Now for those of you that are not aware of what these little gadgets can do for your listening pleasure here is a brief overview:


If you are not happy with the sounds coming out of your radio today you are not alone. Radio stations are constantly playing music that leaves us asking for more, gives us continual interruptions from the DJs and annoying ad spots for products that you don't even care about. In other words, many of us have become increasingly disillusioned with regular broadcast radio.


Even if you do have a favorite station or two, chances are their coverage isn't always the greatest, with reception often poor quality. And if you're traveling out of town, there is little chance that you are going to be able to reach your favorite station. So what do you do?


And what if you want to find traffic information or weather reports on your so-called favorite local radio station. You'd better be prepared to wait until the top of the hour. Even then they might not cover what you need. Even worse if you are out of your local radio station's range. Say hello to clicking through a multitude of stations. Not exactly fun. Wouldn't it be easier just to have a radio station that you can call your own AND that you can take with you?

Satellite radio helps to eliminate many of the frustrations that we have already listed. Both XM and Siruis Satellite Radio systems give you more choices, better coverage, better signal, more 'extra' services, and fewer (usually no) commercials. Not to mention that a lot of users find that the sound they receive from their satellite radio system is far superior to the one that they hear on local radio. All in all satellite radio is everything that local radio would like to be but can't.



I want to Enter to Win an XM or Siruis Satellite Radio system today

iPod Sweepstakes

Want to win a new ipod?


Here is a great sweepstake that you do not want to miss out on. This company draws a new winner every day for an ipod. How cool would that be to win one of the gadgets that has revolutionized how we listen to music? For those of you that do not know what an ipod is here is the Wikipedia definition:

"The generic brand iPod refers to a class of portable digital audio players designed and marketed by Apple Computer. (Hewlett-Packard also markets the product under the name Apple iPod + HP.) Devices in the iPod family offer a simple user interface designed around a central scroll wheel. Most iPod models store media on a built-in hard drive, while a lower-end model, iPod shuffle, relies on flash memory. ..."



Enter to Win a 1GB iPod at iPodSweepstakes today





Now for those of you that are not aware of where these little gadgets have come from here is a brief history:

Basically the iPod's voyage into the our lives (as far as consumers are concerned anyways) started in October of 2001 when Apple released a 5 GB version that enabled users to hold up to 1,000 of their favorite songs. Since then Apple has grown this product to unbelievable expectations. Not only has Apple released several different versions of its ipod line but it also launched a website called iTunes where users could download their favorite songs. Since that fateful day in 2001 Apple has sold over 70 Million ipods to consumers worldwide and over 1 billion songs have been downloaded from iTunes. I would say that is quite a success story.

Now to get back to the reason why you came to this page. To enter to win a 1 GB iPod. The site, www.ipodsweepstakes.com, makes it as easy as possible to do just that. Unlike many of the other ipod sweepstakes that we see out there this entry form only requires you to enter your email address. How simple is that to enter to win one of these killer new gadgets? Maybe if you enter today you could have this under your Christmas tree. Wouldn't that be great?



I want to enter to win a 1 GB iPod now

Prize Offers: You Don’t Have to Pay to Play!

Prize Offers: You Don’t Have to Pay to Play! series Written Solicitations


Many sweepstakes promotions arrive by mail as a letter or postcard that instructs the consumer to respond by return mail or phone to enter a contest or collect a prize.

The Deceptive Mail Prevention and Enforcement Act helps protect consumers against fraudulent sweepstakes promotions sent through the mail. The law prohibits:

*

claims that you're a winner unless you've actually won a prize.
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requirements that you buy something to enter the contest or to receive future sweepstakes mailings.
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the mailing of fake checks that don't clearly state that they are non-negotiable and have no cash value.
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seals, names or terms that imply an affiliation with or endorsement by the federal government"

A lot of our members still indulge in the SASE method of sweepstake entry and aware of the inherent risks, but we post this to the blog so that any new members can brush up on the idea of written solictitaions as well.

Prize Offers: You Don’t Have to Pay to Play!

Prize Offers: You Don’t Have to Pay to Play!:
Here is another article that we found on the Internet that we think would be of interest to our members.



Telephone Solicitations

Telemarketers frequently use sweepstakes and prize contests to sell magazines or other goods and services. These telemarketers make an initial contact with consumers through 'cold calls,' or take calls from consumers who are responding to a solicitation they received by mail.

The Telemarketing Sales Rule helps protect consumers from fraudulent telemarketers who use prize promotions as a lure. In every telemarketing call involving a prize promotion, the law requires telemarketers to tell you:

*

the odds of winning a prize. If the odds can't be determined in advance, the promoter must tell you the factors used to calculate the odds.
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that you don't have to pay a fee or buy something to win a prize or participate in the promotion.
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if you ask, how to participate in the contest without buying or paying anything.
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what you'll have to pay or the conditions you'll have to meet to receive or redeem a prize.

The Telemarketing Sales Rule prohibits telemarketers from misrepresenting any of these facts, as well as the nature or value of the prizes. It also requires telemarketers who call you to pitch a prize promotion to tell you before they describe the prize that you don't have to"

Prize Offers: You Don’t Have to Pay to Play!

Prize Offers: You Don’t Have to Pay to Play! - Consumer Protections:
"Several consumer laws help protect consumers against fraudulent sweepstakes and prize offers promoted through the mail or by phone."

Prize Offers cont'd: You Don’t Have to Pay to Play!

Prize Offers: You Don’t Have to Pay to Play!: "Skill Contests
There's one notable exception: skill contests. These are puzzles, games or other contests in which prizes are awarded based on skill, knowledge or talent - not on chance. Contestants might be required to write a jingle, solve a puzzle or answer questions correctly to win.

Unlike sweepstakes, skill contests may legally require contestants to buy something or make a payment or donation to enter.

It's important to recognize that many consumers are deceptively lured into playing skill contests by easy initial questions or puzzles. Once they've sent their money and become 'hooked,' the questions get harder and the entry fees get steeper. Entrants in these contests rarely receive anything for their money and effort."

So as we always say here at MyFreeSweeps.com, "you do not need to pay to play".

More of the "You Don’t Have to Pay to Play!" series

"And The Winner Is...

Everyone loves to be a winner. A recent research poll showed that more than half of all American adults entered sweepstakes within the past year. Most of these contests were run by reputable marketers and non-profit organizations to promote their products and services. Some lucky winners received millions of dollars or valuable prizes.

Capitalizing on the popularity of these offers, some con artists disguise their schemes to look legitimate. And an alarming number of people take the bait. Every day, consumers throughout the United States lose thousands of dollars to unscrupulous prize promoters. During 1999 alone, the Federal Trade Commission received more than 10,000 complaints from consumers about gifts, sweepstakes and prize promotions. Many received telephone calls or postcards telling them they'd won a big prize - only to find out that to claim it, they had to buy something or pay as much as $10,000 in fees or other charges.

There's a big difference between legitimate sweepstakes and fraudulent ones. Prizes in legitimate contests are awarded solely by chance, and contestants don't have to pay a fee or buy something to enter or increase their odds of winning. In fraudulent schemes, however, 'winners' almost always have to dip into their pockets to enter a contest or collect their 'prize.'"

Once again, if you are ever contacted by a supposed company by phone/email/mail never ever give them your credit card information. It is against the law and probably a fraud waiting to happen.

"You don't have to pay to Play" series

Congratulations, it's your lucky day! You've just won $5,000! You're guaranteed to win a fabulous diamond ring, luxury vacation or all-terrain vehicle!

If you receive a letter or phone call with a message like this, be skeptical. The $5,000 "prize" may cost you hundreds of dollars in taxes or service charges - and never arrive. Your "fabulous" prize may not be worth collecting. The diamond is likely to be the size of a pinhead. The "vacation" could be one night in a seedy motel, and the ATV, nothing more than a lounge chair on wheels!

Scam artists often use the promise of a valuable prize or award to entice consumers to send money, buy overpriced products or services, or contribute to bogus charities. People who fall for their ploys may end up paying far more than their "prizes" are worth, if they get a prize at all.

What these people are likely to get - especially if they signed up for a contest drawing at a public place or event - may be more than they bargained for: more promotions in the mail, more telemarketing calls and more unsolicited commercial email, or "spam." This is because many prize promoters sell the information they collect to advertisers.

Worse yet, contest entrants might subject themselves to a bogus prize promotion scam. So the moral of the story is if ANY company asks you to send money or asks for your credit card information DON'T DO IT.

Watch out for this one

LAS VEGAS (AP) - State and federal authorities have shut down a Nevada-based business that authorities say scammed people into paying $20 for a valueless newsletter with deceptive mailers suggesting the recipient won a sweepstakes prize.

The Federal Trade Commission said the fraudulent "sweepstakes" operation violated federal law by sending personalized mail to millions of people nationwide, telling them they won a substantial cash prize even though no prizes were awarded.

A lawyer for Las Vegas-based National Prize Information Group Corp. and company owner John Rincon denied allegations of deceptive trade practices and promised to fight lawsuits filed in Las Vegas by the FTC and the Nevada state attorney general.

"Customers received a real and valuable service," attorney Sheldon Lustigman said Friday from his office in New York. He said Rincon offered money back to dissatisfied customers.

U.S. District Judge Robert Jones in Las Vegas on Thursday halted operations and froze the assets and business records of Rincon and his businesses: National Prize Information Group Corp., Las Vegas Actionable Award Program, Prize Search Express and National Bureau of Prize Information.

The Nevada attorney general's consumer protection bureau also filed suit in state court Wednesday, alleging false, misleading and deceptive advertising, and false representations in a transaction.

The FTC said personalized mailers lured people into sending money with discriptions of "uncollected" but "confirmed" prizes, "unawarded money" that had been "located and documented" and "authorization to disburse" a "guaranteed cash/prize amount."

Some people who paid $20 received a newsletter drawn from public sources listing sweepstakes and instructions on how to enter, said Jo Ann Gibbs, a senior deputy Nevada state attorney general.

Small print in advertisements referred to the newsletter, state and federal investigators said, but not that recipients had not won a prize.

Some people who sent money received more mailers soliciting more money and suggesting they had won other prizes, the Federal Trade Commission said in a statement.

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This all goes to show that if a sweepstakes asks you to send money to them, they are probably a fraud. Please be careful out there. If you ever have any concerns about the sweepstakes we have at www.myfreesweeps.com, please let us know and we will investigate.

What is a sweepstake?

A sweepstakes is technically a lottery in which the prize is financed through the tickets sold. In the United States the word has become associated with promotions where prizes are given away for free. In other words, they specifically do not require a purchase to enter (these are called prize draws in the United Kingdom). Sweepstakes sponsors are very careful to dis-associate themselves from any suggestion that players must pay to enter, as this would bring them into conflict with lottery laws. The popularity of the term sweepstakes may derive from the Irish Sweepstakes, which was very popular throughout the world from the 1930s to the 1980s.

Sweepstakes typically involve aggressive enticements to enter a contest for fantastically large prizes; there should be no cost to the entrant to enter for the prize, with the exception of possibly being placed on a promotional mailing list. Winners should also not be required to pay a fee of any type to receive their prize.

Among the commonly known sweepstakes in the United States are the American Family Publishers Sweepstakes, Publisher's Clearing House Sweepstakes and Reader's Digest Sweepstakes, each of which strongly persuade entrants to purchase magazine subscriptions by placing stickers on contest entry cardstock, while promising multi-million dollar winners who will be "announced on TV". The American Family Publishers sweepstakes has traditionally used paid advertisements during NBC's The Tonight Show to announce its grand prize winners (for many years, its celebrity spokesman was Ed McMahon).

Sweepstakes are also used by fast-food restaurants to boost business. One of the most popular has been the McDonald's Monopoly promotion. Soda companies also run sweepstakes, including the Pepsi Billion Dollar Sweepstakes game and the Pepsi Stuff game allowing one to accumulate points and purchase promotional items (which offered a Harrier fighter jet for a certain number of points, much lower than the cost of the plane, and which an entrant unsuccessfully sued Pepsi for when he amassed them [1]).

Because of the perceived deceptive nature of sweepstakes, they are heavily regulated. The US, Canada, and individual US states all have laws covering sweepstakes, resulting in special rules depending on where the entrant lives. Notably, Canada and several European countries require entrants to solve a mathematical puzzle, making it a contest of skill, in order to overcome requirements that would classify sweepstakes as a form of gambling.

Sweepstakes must therefore be carefully planned to not only comply with local laws but curtail forms of entrant fraud and abuse. Before home computers were popular, a common method of entry was a mailed index card with the entrant's name and address. Massive computer-printed entries made a new requirement of "hand-printed". Laser printers able to mimic ink pen writing are also a problem for sponsors. Entering sweepstakes by mail is still very popular, although many also enter online as well. From time to time, mistaken sweepstakes design leads to more winning entries than intended, and publicity fallout for the sponsoring brand can be immense.

There is also a tradition of office sweepstakes, which usually take place over large sporting events (Melbourne Cup, Grand National, World Cup etc), where you put in a stake into the pot, and get a horse/team drawn out of the hat. The winner then takes the pot.