Pretty sure I just got called w/ a scam. Who has won an actual disney sweepstakes?

[Ariel on Land]

Just curious.... how exactly were you contacted? How did you know it was Disney? I just got a phone call from a 407 phone number that answered w/ a recording that said, "let the memories begin" which is a pretty standard Disney saying and gave me a "claim number." I was on hold for a few minutes when some guy named "Todd" answered - he asked for the claim number and then my name. Me, being the skeptic that I am, just said Mrs. _____. He then asked for my first name and I told him I wasn't giving it until I knew who I was talking to. He then hung up on me. So I'm fairly certain that was some sort of scam.

BUt it made me wonder for those of you who have won ACTUAL Disney sweepstakes, how did Disney identify themselves??

 

[sharadoc]

Just curious.... how exactly were you contacted? How did you know it was Disney? I just got a phone call from a 407 phone number that answered w/ a recording that said, "let the memories begin" which is a pretty standard Disney saying and gave me a "claim number." I was on hold for a few minutes when some guy named "Todd" answered - he asked for the claim number and then my name. Me, being the skeptic that I am, just said Mrs. _____. He then asked for my first name and I told him I wasn't giving it until I knew who I was talking to. He then hung up on me. So I'm fairly certain that was some sort of scam.

BUt it made me wonder for those of you who have won ACTUAL Disney sweepstakes, how did Disney identify themselves??

If you google the phone number that called you, you'll probably find out it's a telemarketing scam. I've gotten a few calls from the 407 area code and found out that many others have gotten them too. It's selling a trip.

 

[Ariel on Land]

good call on the googling--- yup, looks like a scam. Glad I didn't tell him much of anything! I typically won't answer calls I don't recognize, but since we do have a current trip scheduled, and I know I've entered the monster disney sweepstakes recently, I answered due to the area code.

But I'm still curious how a real disney sweepstakes winner is informed!

 

[KarenW]

I have not won a Disney sweep, but have won others and I can tell you my experience. They always already know my full name and will quickly identify themselves and the company or sweepstake agency that they are calling from. They will also tell you the full name of the sweepstake that you have won. If they are not forthcoming with this info then it is, most likely, a scam or sell.

 

[MickeyMinnie1971]

When we won a Disney trip (years ago) we received a registered letter.

 

[zianha]

When we won a Disney trip (years ago) we received a registered letter.

^^ This ^^
Unfortunately I've never won, but last year or whenever it was when Disney was giving away a trip each day people were notified via a registered letter of some kind!

I'm glad you recognized that it wasn't legit! There are still a lot of people who fall for scams like that!

 

[mkbroas]

They called me a few weeks ago. I believe it was a timeshare company. They offered me free tickets to Disney if I came and sat through their presentation. I told him no thank you and asked to have my number removed from their call list. I also asked him if Disney knew the marketing strategy they were employing. That shut him up pretty quickly. He apologized and hung up.

 

[minnierocks]

I was notified by phone...and I can tell you that this man was so patient with me, as I was sure it was a scam. But...he was able to tell me when and how I entered the sweepstakes and the details of the contest. He was on the phone with me until I was mostly convinced that it was real. Once they verified with me that we could travel on the specified dates, he sent me a registered mail package of forms to sign. I had a friend who was a lawyer look at them. I finally believed it was real when I called him back and he agreed to let me leave my social security number off of the paperwork until we arrived at WDW. It was the trip of a lifetime...and sometimes, it still feels like it was a dream.
If he hung up on you...that is a huge red flag that it was not for real.

 

[keltiesmom]

When I won I had entered the wrong contact phone number, so I received an email. I don't know if all Disney sweeps are handled by the same company but the area code I was called from once I have them the right # was 212. The subject of my email was the name of the contest I had entered. We are leaving in 39 days for our trip, I'm super excited.