Amtrak says I won a prize. Seems legit?

[Texan Eagle]

This evening I got an email from someone claiming to be on behalf of Amtrak informing me I have won a prize in the See More on a Train photo contest that they had run at the time of National Train Day. Below is an excerpt from the email I got. Does it seem legitimate or could be a scam?

Dear <my name> –

You recently participated in the Amtrak "See More on a Train" Contest. This is an official notification that you have been selected as a potential winner.



YOU ARE REQUIRED TO ABIDE BY THE FOLLOWING INSTRUCTIONS AND CONTACT US BEFORE THE DEADLINE IN ORDER TO REMAIN ELIGIBLE FOR THE PRIZE.



INSTRUCTIONS: Please reply to this email by 5:00 PM ET on Thursday, June 28, 2012, acknowledging your receipt of this email and providing the information below in order to remain eligible for the prize.



FULL NAME:



MAILING ADDRESS:



PHONE NUMBER:



DATE OF BIRTH:



SPONSOR: The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, commonly known as Amtrak, 60 Massachusetts Avenue, N.E., Washington DC 2002.

If you do not respond by the designated time you may forfeit your prize.

If you have any questions, please feel free to call me at 212-488-1475.

I look forward to hearing from you!

Sincerely,

Sam



__________________________

Sam Blum

Brand Promotions



LeadDog Marketing Group, Inc. (Sweepstakes Administrator)

159 W 25th Street, 3rd Floor

New York, NY 10001



P 212.488.1475 | F 212.741.5013

---

I did a quick Google search for the company LeadDog Marketing Group and it seems they were indeed the ones who were hosting the photo contest for Amtrak, but I want to be extra cautious before replying to the email. I saw the email after end of business hours on the East coast so my call to the phone number mentioned went unanswered.

So what do you guys think? Real winner or scam spam?

 

[roomette]

Lead Dog sent me a list of winners at my request,. The contest is over. Perhaps someone did not relpy in time and you are a runner up so to speak.

 

[JeffW]

It doesn't appear to be too serious of a phishing scam if it is one... They can ask for DOB to make sure you are old enough. Once they start asking for the SSN or account numbers, you might want to report it.

Did you actually enter into the sweepstakes? I would guess you needed to submit a photo for this (I'm guessing here). If you entered, then maybe you actually won?

Definitely call the phone number to check up on it before you submit your birthday--that can occasionally be used as a security feature in some online things.

 

[AutoTrDvr]

This evening I got an email from someone claiming to be on behalf of Amtrak informing me I have won a prize in the See More on a Train photo contest that they had run at the time of National Train Day. Below is an excerpt from the email I got. Does it seem legitimate or could be a scam?

Dear <my name> –

You recently participated in the Amtrak "See More on a Train" Contest. This is an official notification that you have been selected as a potential winner.



YOU ARE REQUIRED TO ABIDE BY THE FOLLOWING INSTRUCTIONS AND CONTACT US BEFORE THE DEADLINE IN ORDER TO REMAIN ELIGIBLE FOR THE PRIZE.



INSTRUCTIONS: Please reply to this email by 5:00 PM ET on Thursday, June 28, 2012, acknowledging your receipt of this email and providing the information below in order to remain eligible for the prize.



FULL NAME:



MAILING ADDRESS:



PHONE NUMBER:



DATE OF BIRTH:



SPONSOR: The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, commonly known as Amtrak, 60 Massachusetts Avenue, N.E., Washington DC 2002.

If you do not respond by the designated time you may forfeit your prize.

If you have any questions, please feel free to call me at 212-488-1475.

I look forward to hearing from you!

Sincerely,

Sam



__________________________

Sam Blum

Brand Promotions



LeadDog Marketing Group, Inc. (Sweepstakes Administrator)

159 W 25th Street, 3rd Floor

New York, NY 10001



P 212.488.1475 | F 212.741.5013

---

I did a quick Google search for the company LeadDog Marketing Group and it seems they were indeed the ones who were hosting the photo contest for Amtrak, but I want to be extra cautious before replying to the email. I saw the email after end of business hours on the East coast so my call to the phone number mentioned went unanswered.

So what do you guys think? Real winner or scam spam?

I'm thinking Phishing scam, all the way. I would never give DOB. With name and DOB alone, I have enough to search all kinds of on-line records, including credit reports, other financials, etc.. If it sounded like something Amtrak offered legitimately, I'd call them and ask first. No harm in verifying it.

This doesn't sound legit. I'd avoid like the plague... h34r:

 

[amtrakwolverine]

Googling it was a contest for National train day. Submit a photo etc and I guess they called you.

 

[Exiled in Express]

There was an underadvertised sweepstakes for free travel during NTD as well. I "won" the twitter contest for NTD 2011 and received a similar form. It looks legitimate.

If you are going to pass, I'll supply my info.

 

[Long Train Runnin']

I once won a prize pack from Amtrak in a twitter contest and gave them basically the same information. About a week later a package with the prizes arrived at my door.

I would say they need the DOB to confirm you are at least 18 and eligible to win.

 

[Texan Eagle]

Just to clarify- yes I indeed participated in the photo contest that Amtrak had on the National Train Day site. I did submit a couple of photos, and in my opinion they were quite good too (Hey, everyone thinks their photos are the best, isn't it?

), so it is not completely unlikely that I actually won a prize. Just being overly cautious here. Will call the number tomorrow and we'll know for sure.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Just to clarify- yes I indeed participated in the photo contest that Amtrak had on the National Train Day site. I did submit a couple of photos, and in my opinion they were quite good too (Hey, everyone thinks their photos are the best, isn't it?

), so it is not completely unlikely that I actually won a prize. Just being overly cautious here. Will call the number tomorrow and we'll know for sure.

Just don't let NARP find out about this. :unsure:

I'm surprised that they need your actual birthday. Why can't you simply make a legally binding statement that you are above the age of eighteen instead? Seems like sloppy use of personally identifiable information if you ask me, especially when it suggests (requires?) this information be sent in plain text through easily intercepted email. In any case calling the number in the email would not appear to be a logical method for discovering a phishing scam since the number would be coming from the same source(s) as the scam itself. My advice is to seek out alternate numbers from other sources and/or communicating with Amtrak directly to confirm the information provided in the email. Then, when you are relatively certain that you're dealing with the right folks for the right reasons I would suggest faxing your information instead of emailing it, if only to keep your birthday away from prying eyes.

 

[MiRider]

That's what my prize email looked like when I won my 30 day rail pass, it also used the term 'potential winner'.

I'm paranoid too but I did a little Google work and felt secure.

Follow the instructions if you want the prize.

I replied to the email and my rail pass arrived the next day via FedEx.

Congratulations!

Oh yeah.... Do you know what you won?

 

[AutoTrDvr]

Just to clarify- yes I indeed participated in the photo contest that Amtrak had on the National Train Day site. I did submit a couple of photos, and in my opinion they were quite good too (Hey, everyone thinks their photos are the best, isn't it?

), so it is not completely unlikely that I actually won a prize. Just being overly cautious here. Will call the number tomorrow and we'll know for sure.

Just don't let NARP find out about this. :unsure:

I'm surprised that they need your actual birthday. Why can't you simply make a legally binding statement that you are above the age of eighteen instead?

Precisely! NEVER give your DOB out unless required by law (i.e. Driver's license, passport, legal/financial docs, etc.).

This one may very well be a legit prize, but the form and the info. required are exactly like most phishing emails I've seen.

I'd definitely verify it with Amtrak.

 

[fairviewroad]

That's what my prize email looked like when I won my 30 day rail pass, it also used the term 'potential winner'.

The term "potential winner" is used because a winner is not a winner until they have verified eligibility, which may

include (but is not limited to) age, place of residence, employment status (i.e. lack thereof) with sponsoring company,

etc.

Yes, it's good to do due diligance to make sure it's not a scam, but if you're ultimately too paranoid to claim the prize, there's

really no point in entering these things in the first place.

 

[MiRider]

That's what my prize email looked like when I won my 30 day rail pass, it also used the term 'potential winner'.

The term "potential winner" is used because a winner is not a winner until they have verified eligibility, which may

include (but is not limited to) age, place of residence, employment status (i.e. lack thereof) with sponsoring company,

etc.

Yes, it's good to do due diligance to make sure it's not a scam, but if you're ultimately too paranoid to claim the prize, there's

really no point in entering these things in the first place.

Absolutely, I couldn't agree more.

He probably got the email because another paranoid person thought it was a scam - for what I don't know, no really useful scam information asked for imo - and that person refused to *abide* by the instructions.

 

[Cho Cho Charlie]

Once they start asking for the SSN or account numbers, you might want to report it.

While I too would always exercise caution, if it is a legit contest, they will certainly ask for your SSN. That's for the form 1099-MISC you'll get, with which you use pay your incomes taxes due on the value of your winnings.

 

[MiRider]

Once they start asking for the SSN or account numbers, you might want to report it.

While I too would always exercise caution, if it is a legit contest, they will certainly ask for your SSN. That's for the form 1099-MISC you'll get, with which you use pay your incomes taxes due on the value of your winnings.

They didn't ask for mine (for the rail pass) and I thought they would.

 

[AutoTrDvr]

Once they start asking for the SSN or account numbers, you might want to report it.

While I too would always exercise caution, if it is a legit contest, they will certainly ask for your SSN. That's for the form 1099-MISC you'll get, with which you use pay your incomes taxes due on the value of your winnings.

They didn't ask for mine (for the rail pass) and I thought they would.

I can see them seeking and obtaining that information once you start "formal" eligibility procedures with them to claim the prize. But not as an initial email contact sort of thing! I would call them to verify first. Then I would go directly to their office to fill out any forms that require that info. I'd never submit that kind of P.I.I. over the net.

 

[MiRider]

Once they start asking for the SSN or account numbers, you might want to report it.

While I too would always exercise caution, if it is a legit contest, they will certainly ask for your SSN. That's for the form 1099-MISC you'll get, with which you use pay your incomes taxes due on the value of your winnings.

They didn't ask for mine (for the rail pass) and I thought they would.

I can see them seeking and obtaining that information once you start "formal" eligibility procedures with them to claim the prize. But not as an initial email contact sort of thing! I would call them to verify first. Then I would go directly to their office to fill out any forms that require that info. I'd never submit that kind of P.I.I. over the net.

Wow.... way too much paranoia, imo.

There are no formal eligibility procedures - this is a winning email.

If you don't/won't/can't give the simple information they request , then the next person wins.

You had to give them that information when you entered the contest which means you sent it over the 'net' already.

They're emailing to verify the information you gave them when you entered the contest - your date of birth is to verify your age.

You respond to the email and your prize is sent to you.

This was an online contest and it's conducted as such, paranoid people should stick to the mail - not like mail is ever stolen or anything like that.

 

[Guest]

Did you give your DOB when you entered the contest? Perhaps they just want to match to make sure you are indeed the one who entered the photos.

If not, can you just make up a birthday? How are they to verify it without your Soc. Sec. number? It's probably just to make sure you're of legal age.

 

[Texan Eagle]

Today morning I called up the number and talked to the person. He sounded very professional and when I asked him is this genuine (ya stupid question to ask isn't it? ) he had a laugh and said "Yes sir, don't worry. This is not a spam. You have actually been selected as one of the winners". I did provide them the information they asked for and they said they will verify everything and get back to me. I am willing to take this "risk" of giving out my "sensitive information" because the prize they are offering is pretty good, though not as insane to definitely qualify as spam. I'll share with you guys the details about it after I actually receive my prize, if at all I do. Don't want to jinx it by boasting about it in advance

 

[MiRider]

Today morning I called up the number and talked to the person. He sounded very professional and when I asked him is this genuine (ya stupid question to ask isn't it? ) he had a laugh and said "Yes sir, don't worry. This is not a spam. You have actually been selected as one of the winners". I did provide them the information they asked for and they said they will verify everything and get back to me. I am willing to take this "risk" of giving out my "sensitive information" because the prize they are offering is pretty good, though not as insane to definitely qualify as spam. I'll share with you guys the details about it after I actually receive my prize, if at all I do. Don't want to jinx it by boasting about it in advance

Woo hoo! I'm excited for you, looking forward to hearing about it.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Wow.... way too much paranoia, imo.

I've known people who threw caution to the wind and ended up with a stolen identity to show for it. But at least they never went on and on about everyone else being "way too paranoid" like you are. Tthe simple truth is that we all live in an era where even extremely basic information can be used to quickly and easily clone our carefully (or haphazardly) maintained financial history and leave us spending the next year or two trying to put all the pieces back together again. Or maybe you've just never seen this sort of thing happen to a friend or family member and thus have no concept of what's actually at risk.

 

[AutoTrDvr]

Once they start asking for the SSN or account numbers, you might want to report it.

While I too would always exercise caution, if it is a legit contest, they will certainly ask for your SSN. That's for the form 1099-MISC you'll get, with which you use pay your incomes taxes due on the value of your winnings.

They didn't ask for mine (for the rail pass) and I thought they would.

I can see them seeking and obtaining that information once you start "formal" eligibility procedures with them to claim the prize. But not as an initial email contact sort of thing! I would call them to verify first. Then I would go directly to their office to fill out any forms that require that info. I'd never submit that kind of P.I.I. over the net.

Wow.... way too much paranoia, imo.

Maybe so, but it comes from over 25 years of data security experience... Part of what I do for a living...

There are no formal eligibility procedures - this is a winning email.

If you don't/won't/can't give the simple information they request , then the next person wins.

You had to give them that information when you entered the contest which means you sent it over the 'net' already.

Well, I probably wouldn't have, since I wouldn't have entered the contest in the first place. But that's just me. This way, if someone sends me an e-mail that says, "I've won XYZ," I know it's false, since I never entered a contest for XYZ.

They're emailing to verify the information you gave them when you entered the contest - your date of birth is to verify your age.

Understood. But, again, since I wouldn't have entered the contest, I wouldn't have given them any info. beforehand. I would certainly not have entered a contest that required me (as part of entering) to give any P.I.I. of that nature (DOB, SS#, street address, telephone, etc.). I would give an email alias or a PO box, if that were acceptable. If it were not, then the contest would simply not be worth entering. If I were able to enter such a contest, and I won it, I would then give the info over the phone or in person. But, more than likely, I would not have entered at all. I guess I'm just not a "contest" type of person. I've never played the "Powerball" or "Mega Millions" lottery either. But that's a whole other can of worms.

This was an online contest and it's conducted as such, paranoid people should stick to the mail - not like mail is ever stolen or anything like that.

Not "paranoia...." I'd call it "experience." If I were really paranoid, I'd never be on any of these forums! I'd never do Internet Banking, Shopping etc., and, I'd never make any of my Auto Train reservations via their web!!! (Just trying to stay on topic here).

Best of luck to you... Hope you collect your prize! :hi:

 

[Alyssa]

Did You ever receive your prize? I just received the same email but for a different contest.

 

[Texan Eagle]

Update!!!

Folks, remember this thread? Here's the good news- the email was legitimate, I actually won the Second Prize in Amtrak's See More on a Train photo contest organised during National Train Day!

The initial email said I can choose between a DSLR camera or a $500 gift card from a mobile carrier. Obviously I told them I'll take the DSLR camera and asked them details such as which model of camera will they give, will it just the body or will it come with lens etc. The company handling the event was probably confused which camera they can give me for $500 (since that's the budget allocated for 2nd prize) so they made me an alternate offer- we will give you a $500 Visa gift card and you go buy whatever camera (or anything else) you want

I received the promised Visa gift card today by FedEx

So now, all you good fellas, please recommend me what DSLR camera and lens should I buy using this Amtrak-sponsored gift card? I currently do not own a DSLR camera (my winning entry photo was taken using a point and shoot

) and I have been anyway planning to get a DSLR in this year's festival season (Labor Day/Thanksgiving sale), this makes things easy for me! Of course I can use the gift card to buy anything I want but I do not wish to spend it on groceries and gas and invite bad karma from Amtrak souls