wafflesatnoon.com » Scams & Deception » The “Winner of the Day” Free Gift Scam
The “Winner of the Day” Free Gift Scam
Did you receive a text telling you that you were the “winner of the day” and won a nice prize such as a gift card or iPad? Before you make plans to receive this amazing gift, you may want to read a little further.
The message you receive may read something like, “You are Ireland’s winner of the day!” or “You are New Zealand’s winner of the day!” or “You are Henderson’s winner of the day!” They’ll give you a website to visit, which will begin a journey of pond-hopping among different sites until you reach your final destination – a familiar face in the spam wall of shame.
The URL they send may look something like this:
www.bmw.co.nz.phonegiveawayinsanity.info or www.bmw.ie.phonegiveawayinsanity.info.
When I visited the site, I was immediately met with a popup that read (see right):
Congratulations!
You are the Henderson winner for July 6th.
Please select a prize and enter your email on the next page to claim.
The appearance of this site changed each time I viewed it, but the gifts were always the same.
It also turns out I had been forwarded to onlinetestdirect.com which offered me three choices: a $1000 Walmart Gift card, an iPad 3, or a MacBook Air. Every time I visited this site, it looked different, but the gifts were always the same. There is a timer that counted down, and each item had only a couple of “gifts” remaining. Clicking on the Walmart gift card option, I was then taken to walmart.myrewards2go.com, where I was asked to fill in my email address in order to claim the “prize.”
After entering my (fake) email address, I was taken to yet another page on walmart.myrewards2go.com which asked me to fill out all of my contact information. Clicking the “continue” button instantly agrees to their terms and conditions.
Here is where we start to see some fine print about their "free" rewards program gifts.
And, as I somehow expected, those terms and conditions reference DailyDealFinder.com.
DailyDealFinder.com is among the most annoying and rampant text message spammers in existence today. Take a look at some of the other scam “rewards offers” fueled by DailyDealFinder.com in recent months:
You don't want to fill this out.
These “rewards” programs require that you sign up for 13 “sponsor offers” such as credit cards or other useless things you don’t want. You also have to drag three friends along and make them sign up for 13 offers. To rub salt in the wound, you also agree that all of them can call, email, or text you with a stream of annoying offers.
I should note that clicking the iPad sent me to ipad.myrewwards2go.com, while clicking the MacBook sent me to claimhotdeals.com. They are all essentially the same “rewards” offers.
These rewards programs have no redeeming value and there is almost no chance you’ll ever receive the gifts being promised.
It’s a sham, scam, and spam.
It should be noted that the intial websites that we visit in this chain are all very recent. This is a way for DailyDealFinder to hide behind temporary, throwaway url’s.
myrewards2go.com was created 6/6/2012
phonegiveawayinsanity.info was created 6/30/2012
onlinetestdirect.com was created on 8/8/2011
Note: The number we received this “offer” from was 773-801-8380. There will be dozens of others, and the promotion will vary. Let us know if you’ve received a similar text or email and we’ll compile a list of phone numbers and URL’s being used.
Additional Phone Numbers:
- 2023741327
- 2564129581
- 3106919578
- 4049528190
- 4049529073
- 4074324891
- 8136794667
- 8136796718
- 9174359852
- 9176838279
- 9176913892
- 9177149717
- 9177427754
- 9177434558
- 9177564834
- 9177691854
- 9177695606
- 9177695634
- 9177697175
- 9177697297
- 9177697421
- 9177697587
- 9178213832
- 9178213946
- 9178213953
Some people have received a text from short code 5151, telling them they’ve won a free iPad and pointing to ipad3alert.com. This ends up forwarding to a “myrewards2go.com” page – which as we know is a phony “rewards” program covered here. That same short code has also sent out a text telling people they’ve won $1,000,000 from Microsoft, which of course is not real.
Additional URLs associated with or similar to this “offer” are:
- www.bmw.com.au.freegiveawaymadness.info
- www.bmw.ie.freegiveawayinsanity.info
- www.apple.ca.wonacontest.com
- myrewards2go.com
- www.sony.co.nz.ultimategiveawayinsanity.info
- sony.com.au.acontest.info
- www.apple.com.au.wonthatprize.com
- www.apple.com.au.qhknb.com
- claimthistoday.com
- www.apple.ie.contestbox.info
- www.sony.com.au.contestcircle.info
- www.apple.com.au.qhknb.com
- apple.com.au.winatxt.com
- apple.ie.aerde.info
- applewinners.net
Filed under: Scams & Deception
just recieved same message from number+15042613301
could you plesa let me know won free gift i have won thank you d phelan
just recieved same message from number +13472004306.
I just received a similar text from ph. number 2404728485, telling me to go to http://apple.ca.llvc.cc and enter a code to receive my free iPad. Scammers!!
Sept 5. just recd text from ph 305 898 1061. Congrats. your number has just won!! Go to http://apple.ca.ireward.cc and enter the code # to claim your free Apple Product
Msg received on 5th Sept. 2012 ph no. 4143937246.
And msg read: You are a winner. You were chosen to receive a free gift. Go to http://www.sony.ie.crgiveaway.info and tell us where to ship your gift.
sept 6 just received from 18326750495
http://apple.ca.ireward.cc and enter the code # to claim your free Apple Product
Got a text from +15042611058 saying “You are a winner. You have been chosen to recieve a free gift. Go to http://www.sony.ie.crcontest.info and tell us where to ship your gift”.
Just I resive a coll from one of your agent sayed that
I got a free Apple Product, Is that true? They coll me
on this number +61421574384
thanks
Got a text from: +1(916)307-3013 with the website: http://www.apple.nl.irgiveaway.info
eye got 1 2 – middle of the knight !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
sender:17738272644.
tnkx 4 yor info.
Received the text this morning from +16472270815 with the website: http://apple.ca.iwinz.co. Code 6417. (It stated I was Apple’s Winner of the Day.)
code 7891
I received your message that I won an Ipad on 11th october 2012 when I was in Nederland. Now I am out of Nederland for work in Letland. The code you sent me is 7891. Is it true? Is it possible to send it to us? we are missionaries in Letland so good to use it. The sender was +19045141634, in waiting for an answer.
I received your message that congratulation Where do we send your iPad3? from (claimhotdeals.com) &I could chose between your list gift on 12th december 2012.I have chosen iPad after complete Program Requirements table, i received nothing i live in Iran is it cause of it problem? I have A print of that page, if you want it I can sent it to you. I’m in waiting for an answer.
got a text from 416-912-9283….you win free apple purchase just enter 6417 at apple.ca.iwinz.co
you can suck my big fat toe……..same old fuckery!!!!
Got a text at 09:20 am saying I had been selected for a free gift from Apple. Enter a code to win.
Text from – 13346551787…sick of these pathetic losers scamming people. How did they get my phone number?! Thay should think about getting an actual job and doing something worthwhile with their sad little lives.
Here’s another variation I received today:
You have been selected for a free gift from Apple! Visit http://apple.ie.vx5.cc/?p=011353879791457 now to see what you have won! Enter 8847 to claim.
received from number +1 715 523-2609
they are at it again,or still….
# 416 556 2220
I have won, so blessed!
got tx msg. ph. 416-556-2220 http:apple.ca.iwinz.co enter #6417 same crap jan 4-2013
Just received one from 17155232609
Just got a text with this URL: http://apple.ie.vx5.cc/?p=011353866627593
Came from this number: +1 (813) 368 5327
Using this promo code: 8847
I’ve gotten a few of these. The latest one is from 1-647-230-0094 with a link to http://apple.ca.iwinz.co
Waffles at noon? Why not.