Yesterday, I received a small blue postcard in the mail proclaiming me an “official prizewinner” entitled to receive one of four “guaranteed” prizes: one of the cars mentioned in this post’s title or $40K in cash, a $1,500 shopping spree, an “exotic island adventure”, or $500 cash. In addition, I would get either a 4-day Royal Carribbean Cruise or a pre-paid round trip to Las Vegas or Orlando. The card went on to inform me that the company bestowing this unexpected largess–the Awards Verification Center–had tried to “contact” me with no success to inform me about my winnings, so now it was up to me to contact them at their toll-free number–within 72 hours, of course–to “visit” them and claim my prizes.
Frankly, it was a little strange of the Awards Verification Center to notify me that I had won thousands of dollars in prizes with a cheap postcard with perforated edges that might make a cynical person suspect that they had sent out hundreds or thousands of similar postcards to other potential suckers. The Clearing House Sweepstakes people have the decency to send Ed McMahon in person, bearing a really big check. Awards Verification Center, why be so schlocky?
For kicks, I decided to call the toll-free number to get a taste of the scam in action. Unsurprisingly, the company sells timeshares in vacation properties. The award notices are their lame way of getting people to visit their properties so they can trap you in a room and relentlessly urge you to buy in. When I called, the operator badgered me for my phone number claiming that she needed it to “access the record” of my winnings (never mind that she also asked for the “record locator number” on the postcard I received. I hope that the fake number I provided doesn’t have a real life person on the end.) The operator then informed me that in order to receive my prizes, I had to visit a property in Massachusetts–about a 2 hour drive from NYC–and then participate in a 90-minute site tour. Yeah, right.
It’s hard for me to imagine that people actually fall for this crap, but clearly they do since the Awards Verification Center is actually a public company called Silverleaf Resorts which generated ~$200 million in revenue last year. Still, I suspect that the Internet has put a cramp in the Awards Verification Center’s style and may eventually force them to change their ways. After finishing my phone call with their operator, a quick Google search produced the following tidbits:
- The company goes by several names other than Awards Verification Center and Silverleaf Resorts. Look out for Hill Country Resorts, Holly Lake Ranch, Lake O’ the Woods, and Piney Shores Resorts.
- The Better Business Bureau has a detailed report on the company. In the past 36 months, the Bureau processed 145 customer complaints regarding Silverleaf’s advertising, contracts, billing, sales practices, and service, among other things. Most of these issues are still unresolved.
- The Bureau’s report also states that “if you have received an award letter from this company, it does not mean that you have won a contest. You will receive a free gift if you attend the sales presentation, but the chances that you will receive a major prize such as a car or cash are very slim. Most consumers receive the ten one-day holiday package, which allows use of resort facilities during the daytime only. Overnight accommodations and transportation are not included. The company can not say which award you will receive until you attend the sales presentation.”
My Google search also turned up a few postings by other bloggers detailing their experiences with the Awards Verification Center–a couple of which are pretty amusing. The posts detail the company’s over-the-top hardsell tactics and warn that the “guaranteed” free trip referred to in the postcard they sent out actually requires an advance cash payment.
10 years ago, it would have been difficult for a recipient of a postcard like the one I received to easily confirm a lurking suspicion that it was all too good to be true. That in mind, I wonder how many people have actually subjected themselves to a site visit and prepaid for “free” trips?
It will be interesting to see how companies like the Awards Verification Center deal with the viral alerting system that the Internet provides–my guess is that potential customers will become increasingly savvy and decline “prizes” like those described above. Still, as Nigerian email scams prove, technology hasn’t yet altered PT Barnum’s timeless observation about basic human gullibility and the allure of freebies. Perhaps Google should add a “sucker alert” feature?
It’s incredible to think about how stupid some people are. My friend Auren Hoffman though says that most of the poeple who fall for scams are smart people because they can rationalize their behavior.
Left by Ben Casnocha on July 28th, 2006