800-253-5524

received call at 5:18pm, Dec.02,09    change of life sweepstakes for Lincoln Navagator & other great prizes.  (Yeal, right!). says to contact Cathy Sumner, time stipulation so call as soon as possible, 800 253 5524                            Yeal, right!

I got the identical call as Judi (from Cathy Sumner RE: Change a Life Sweepstakes). Maybe could be legit, but sounds suspicious, particularly since I never win anything! I haven't called back...

Same call here.. we all won.

Left message today - Still no one has claimed it I guess?! Yeah right! lmao

Left a message with the same information so I called back to see what "Kathy Summer" would say and she asked to verify my telephone number and call me back...it turns out this is a scam (of course) to get you to attend a timeshare presentation put on by Premium Destinations, they claim you will "win" one of the 4 top prizes, either the Lincoln Navigator, $2500 in cash, a 2 night/3 day vaca or a flat screen tv.  Want to take a bet on which prize we would have "won" if we had gone?

The Change of Life Sweepstakes. Congratulations. Seemed to indicate I won a Lincoln Navigator. Calll back ASAP as the deal is time sensitive. Talk to Kathy Sumner.1-800-253-5524.

My and my wife attended the presentation in Daytona. It was fun and we won the 2500 and we were very excited. I think people put bad things on the internet because they either could not attend or they didn't like what they got. Well, the company can't please every customer. If the world could please everybody then what a world that would be.:)

I don't know what u guys are talking about but I jus received the call on Friday to pick my gift up.....yeah I went and I was won the 2500 dollars!!!!!! lucky me u guys shouldve went to claim ur prize... Premium Destinations seem to be a great company I would recommend anyone to attend to receive your gifts. How are u guys gonna say that this is a scam I bet u didn't even go and get ur gifts yourselves u probably jus listened to friends or sumthn. I can't believe u all are so naive to believe wat other people say instead of checking this out on own........... thats so silly. Maybe u should give the number a call an see what gift u get.!!!!!! cuz I was very pleased with what I received u could be too!!!!

WOW 2 ALL CAPS posts in a row. This is the same crap you posted on

https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-800-428-9083

so it must be the same scam.

The scam must not be working very well on the phone, if you have to come on here to try running it LOL.  

Why don't you come back when you find the caps lock key and learn how to spell? We still won't believe you though!

I put my letters capital because I want to express my feelings.......People are coming on this site saying dirty things about the company and I don't appreciate because I just went and it was very nice. My friend told me about this site and I just had to see it for myself. And I don't work for this company but I sure will protect one I like just like anybody else would a restaurant or movie theater. So for you to say it's a scam you either didn't get what you wanted or you just didn't get nothing at all.

Gotta love Google. Just got my call from Kathy Sumner... Lucky me! Went to Google & typed in the number and found this site right away. Thanks for the info everyone - won't be wasting my time returning that particular "time sensitive" call. ;)

hey - I just won too! the first time the Illinois caller called I told them they had the worng number. They called back again, and I hung up. They called back a 3rd time and left the message. i bet they have a ton of these things to give away!

Still going on.  Same number, same script ("time sensitive", "won a Lincoln Navigator" from "Change your Life Sweepstakes").  Call Kathy Sumner back....

Gotta love Google search.

Mitchell's Communications Group
http://www.bbb.org/chicago/business-reviews/s ... ago-il-88307402

Information for Filing Telemarketing complaints in Canada and the United States:

CANADA

RCMP Phone busters
Telephone toll free: 1-888-495-8501
Mon-Fri 8:30-5:20 pm (Eastern Time)
E-mail: info@phonebusters.com
RCMP Website is at: http://www.phonebusters.com  
File complaint online:  https://www.recol.ca/intro.aspx?lang=en
(Register with a password and then can continually file complaints)

Canada National Do Not Call Registry, file Complaint:
Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC)
Telephone toll free: 1-877-249-2782
CRTC online complaints form: https://www.lnnte-dncl.gc.ca/pfplin-fccoin-eng
that is at  www.crtc.gc.ca

Better Business Bureau, Check out a Business, find owner, contact info; file a Complaint:
http://www.bbb.org/canada/

UNITED STATES

US National Do Not Call Registry, file complaint: https://www.donotcall.gov/complaint/complaintcheck.aspx

Federal Trade Commission
http://www.ftc.gov 1-877-382-4357
File complaint online: https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov
that is at www.ftc.gov

Federal Communications Commission
Telephone toll free:  1-888-225-5322
http://www.fcc.gov/contacts.html
File complaint online: http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumers.html
http://esupport.fcc.gov/complaints.htm
FCC Abandoned Calls Complaint form:
http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/1088D-R.pdf
email:  fccinfo@fcc.gov

Better Business Bureau, Check out a Business, find owner, contact info; file a Complaint:
http://www.bbb.org/us/

Mitchell's Communications Group
http://www.bbb.org/chicago/business-reviews/s ... ago-il-88307402

Received a call, recorded message from a Kathy Summner that I had entered a Change your Life sweepstakes and had won one of 4 prizes and that I had to call this number back.  Prizes were 2010 Lincoln Navagator, cash, TV, or a vacation.  I called the number back using my cell phone and got an operator.  She said that Kathy was busy, so I told them to call me back on my home number.  Within 5 minutes I received a call back on my CELL phone.  In the meantime I am reading this website, so I know what is happening.  The woman that called me back was very nice and said that I must had entered at a mall, because the entry was from a drop box in Illinois.  I live in Wisconsin, but I do have a daughter in college in Illinois, so maybe she did it, but I didn't.  First she said that I could come to this place in Northern Ill. and bring my State ID and a Credit card, just for ID not for using, NO MONEY needed to claim my prize.  Then she asked how far away I was and I said over an hour. She then said that because of the distance, she would put me in the end of the month drawing and then call me back to let me know what I have won.  So we will see if I get another call back and on which phone they do it.

Same as everyone above. Out of Chystal Lake Ill. If it sounds to good to be true. It probably is. Thank you for this site.

THIS SCAM  is posted right here on 800notes under 16 Ways You Can Be Phone Scammed

2. Another phone scam involves calls from “Prize Distribution Centers” that claim that you are the winner in sweepstakes or a lottery. Of course, you are not the only “winner” in the lottery and tens of thousands of people received the same call.

The goal of the scheme is to entice you to make a relatively small payment (for example, shipping and handling fee, a sales tax) promising that a much bigger prize will be sent your way.

Once the payment is sent, you will most likely not hear from the company again, and a promised “Lincoln Navigator” will not find its way to your driveway.
.
AND ON THE FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION WEBSITE:
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/telemarketing/tel17.shtm

from 12 WAYS TO PROTECT YOURSELF
#8 Agreeing to attend a sales meeting just to win an "expensive" prize is likely to subject you to a high-pressure sales pitch.


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

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.

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."


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.


Consumer Protections
Several consumer laws help protect consumers against fraudulent sweepstakes and prize offers promoted through the mail or by phone.

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.

    that you don't have to pay a fee or buy something to win a prize or participate in the promotion.

    if you ask, how to participate in the contest without buying or paying anything.

    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 buy or pay anything to enter or win.

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.
    requirements that you buy something to enter the contest or to receive future sweepstakes mailings.
    the mailing of fake checks that don't clearly state that they are non-negotiable and have no cash value.
    seals, names or terms that imply an affilia-tion with or endorsement by the federal government.

Skill Contests

Skill contests also are covered by the new Deceptive Mail Prevention and Enforcement Act. The law requires the sponsors to disclose in a clear and conspicuous way:
    the terms, rules and conditions of the contest.
    how many rounds of the contest you must achieve to win the grand prize.
    the time frame for the winner to be determined.
    the name of the contest's sponsor.
    an address where you can reach the sponsor to request that your name be removed from the mailing list.

Just Say "No"
Another way to protect yourself is to request that your name be removed from mail and telephone solicitation lists.

The Telemarketing Sales Rule requires telemarketers to keep a "do not call" list of consumers who have asked not to be called again. Calling a consumer who has made this request is illegal and can subject the telemarketer to a hefty fine.

The Deceptive Mail Prevention and Enforcement Act requires companies that use direct mail to maintain a similar "do not mail" list for consumers who call or write and ask that their name be removed from the mailing list.

This new law gives caregivers the right to have the names of the friends and loved ones under their care removed from the mailing lists of undesirable solicitors.

Another way to reduce mail and telephone solicitations is to contact the Direct Marketing Association to request that your name be placed on its "do not call," "do not mail" and "do not email" lists. Association members agree not to solicit consumers who have requested that they not be contacted.

To have your name removed from direct mail marketing lists, write: Direct Marketing Association, Preference Service Manager, 1120 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10036-6700. To have your name removed from telemarketing lists, write: Direct Marketing Association, Preference Service Manager, 1120 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10036-6700. To "opt out" of receiving unsolicited commercial email, use the DMA's form at www.e-mps.org.

A Dozen Ways to Protect Yourself
The next time you get a "personal" letter or telephone call telling you "it’s your lucky day," the Federal Trade Commission encourages you to remember that:
1.    Legitimate sweepstakes don’t require you to pay or buy something to enter or improve your chances of winning, or to pay "taxes" or "shipping and handling charges" to get your prize. If you have to pay to receive your "prize," it’s not a prize at all.

2.    Sponsors of legitimate contests identify themselves prominently; fraudulent promoters are more likely to downplay their identities. Legitimate promoters also provide you with an address or toll-free phone numbers so you can ask that your name be removed from their mailing list.

3.    Bona fide offers clearly disclose the terms and conditions of the promotion in plain English, including rules, entry procedures, and usually, the odds of winning.

4.    It’s highly unlikely that you’ve won a "big" prize if your notification was mailed by bulk rate. Check the postmark on the envelope or postcard. Also be suspicious of telemarketers who say you’ve won a contest you can’t remember entering.

5.    Fraudulent promoters might instruct you to send a check or money order by overnight delivery or courier to enter a contest or claim your "prize." This is a favorite ploy for con artists because it lets them take your money fast, before you realize you’ve been cheated.

6.    Disreputable companies sometimes use a variation of an official or nationally recognized name to give you confidence in their offers. Don’t be deceived by these "look-alikes." It’s illegal for a promoter to misrepresent an affiliation with — or an endorsement by — a government agency or other well-known organization.

7.    It’s important to read any written solicitation you receive carefully. Pay particularly close attention to the fine print. Remember the old adage that "the devil is in the details."

8.    Agreeing to attend a sales meeting just to win an "expensive" prize is likely to subject you to a high-pressure sales pitch.

9.    Signing up for a sweepstakes at a public location or event, through a publication or online might subject you to unscrupulous prize promotion tactics. You also might run the risk of having your personal information sold or shared with other marketers who later deluge you with offers and advertising.

10.    Some contest promoters use a toll-free "800" number that directs you to dial a pay-per-call "900" number. Charges for calls to "900" numbers may be very high.

11.    Disclosing your checking account or credit card account number over the phone in response to a sweepstakes promotion — or for any reason other than to buy the product or service being sold — is a sure-fire way to get scammed in the future.

12.    Your local Better Business Bureau and your state or local consumer protection office can help you check out a sweepstakes promoter’s reputation. Be aware, however, that many questionable prize promotion companies don’t stay in one place long enough to establish a track record, and the absence of complaints doesn’t necessarily mean the offer is legitimate.



To File a Complaint
Consumers who believe they have been victimized by fraudulent promotional offers also should contact their local postmaster or the U.S. Postal Inspection Service by phone, toll-free, at: 1-888-877-7644; by email at: www.uspsoig.gov; or by mail at: U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Office of Inspector General, Operations Support Group, 222 S. Riverside Plaza, Suite 1250, Chicago, IL 60606-6100.
If you have a problem with a sweepstakes or prize promotion after participating, and you are unable to resolve the problem directly with the company, contact:
    The Direct Marketing Association, ConsumerLine, 1111 19th Street, NW, Suite 1100, Washington, DC 20036-3603; phone 202-955-5030; fax 202-955-0085.
    The Better Business Bureau where the company is located.
    Call for Action, a network of radio and television station hotlines that offer resolution services for consumers. Call 301-657-7490 or write: Call for Action, 5272 River Road, Suite 300, Bethesda, MD 20816.
The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint or to get free information on consumer issues, visit ftc.gov or call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357); TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The FTC enters consumer complaints into the Consumer Sentinel Network, a secure online database and investigative tool used by hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.

it is a scam -

And you are part of it

Gosh, "Kathy Sumner" called on 03/20/10 said I won the same Lincoln Navigator, in the Change Your Life sweepstakes.  However, I NEVER enter sweepstakes.