Which companies deal with UK prize promotions?

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Is your winning notification genuine? As a comper it can sometimes be tricky to identify a legitimate winning text, email, phone call or social media message. Scammers are finding new and clever ways to dupe people into sharing personal details, and it’s not surprising that compers (especially those who are new to the hobby) are wary of unexpected communications. 

In this post I’ve collated a list of companies that deal with UK prize promotions – a helpful resource for compers who may be worried that a winning notification is fake. For social media comps, brands will usually contact you directly – it might be someone who works for the brand, or it might be someone who works for an agency but contacts winners on behalf of the brand. For promotions hosted on websites, you’re more likely to be contacted by an agency.

In the post I also share advice on how to tell if your ‘Congratulations’ emails, text and messages are the real thing!

What to do when you get a winning email

When you receive a winning email, the first thing you should do is check the email address it has come from. You may need to hover or click on the sender’s name to view the email address. Look for the domain – the part after the @ – and then put that into your web browser to see what comes up, eg. promowinners.com. This is the quick way to check if a sender is genuinely from a brand or an agency – if you see a company or brand website then it’s a legitimate winning email.

But if you see an error message, or nothing there at all it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a scam!  Unfortunately, a lot of agencies own domain names which are only used to send emails, for example promotioncustomerservices.com or nestlepromotions.com – so you won’t find anything there if you check in a browser.

If the email address ends in gmail.com, hotmail.com, etc. then be suspicious – although it could still be genuine, it’s very rare that a promoter would use a generic email address like this to contact winners. 

If the email is signed off with a full contact name, do a search for the person on Google or Linked In to check if they genuinely work at an agency or brand. 

Usually you will have to respond to the initial email in order to claim your prize – you may have to give your postal address, email address, phone number or even send a photo of your ID if it’s an alcoholic prize, or to prove your name and address details.  If it’s a cash prize you may be asked for your bank details. It’s safe to give your account number and sort code, as they can only be used to pay you money – but you should NEVER give your card details out to someone you don’t trust.

If you win a cash prize from a Hearst group magazine, they make payments via HSBC and will send a text message to your mobile number as part of the two step verification process – they will explain this process in your winning email. It can take a few weeks to receive the payment.

Read more about how to spot a scam email.

What to do if you get a winning text message

Tesco, Co-op, Heart Radio and many other brands run text entry competitions, and will contact winners via text message (SMS). The text message will usually congratulate you, and ask you to send an email to claim your prize – it may sometimes include a unique reference to include in your email. Occasionally, a winning text message may include a link to a web form, where you can give your contact details or even upload a proof of purchase (receipt) photo. A genuine winning text message will NOT include your name!

Example winning text from Global Radio

If you’re unsure a text message is genuine, scroll back to see if you have messages from the same sender. You might see a ‘bounceback’ confirmation for your competition entry, which will confirm the winning text is genuine. 

If you have no previous messages from the same sender, check what you have sent recently to the major text entry shortcodes like 82122, 85100 or 60777 to look for clues! Or you could check the Closed Text Comps post in the Lucky Learners Facebook group, or try a Google search to find the competition details.

If the text includes a link, tap and hold to preview what the link address is, and follow the same instructions as above to check if the domain name (after the @) is genuine.

When sending an email to claim your prize, include your mobile number (so they can match your email to the winning mobile entry), full name and postal address for prize delivery.

Read more about how to spot a scam text message.

What to do if you get a winning phone call

A WTC (winning telephone call) is rare nowadays and can easily catch you off guard! The caller will usually follow up the call with an email to confirm your win. Often this call may come from a withheld number. It’s tricky to remember all the information a caller gives you over the phone when you’re excited about a win, so it’s really important to ask for the caller’s contact details in case you want to call or email later for reassurance or clarification. Still feeling unsure it was genuine? Do a Google search, search the Compers News Chatterbox forum (members only), or search the Lucky Learners group, to see if you can find the competition details.  

What to do when you get a winning social media notification

Unfortunately profile cloning is a huge problem in comping circles, where scammers pretend to be a brand and leave replies or send messages to competition entrants, claiming they’ve won a prize. They may send a link to a web form asking for your personal details, and usually ask for credit card details to cover a small postage payment for the prize – they can then use your details for fraud. If you get a follow request from a private Instagram account, or a strange reply on Facebook full of emojis, it’s likely to be this scam. If the grammar is poor, that’s another clue!

So how do you know if a winning notification is real? You should check that the notification links to the brand’s genuine social media profile. Click on the sender’s name – does this link take you to the brand profile page on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook? A blue tick confirms it’s a verified account. If you don’t see a blue tick, go to the company website and follow the link from the website to their social media profile. Is that the same account that contacted or tagged you? Check the username carefully as fake accounts usually have a slight misspelling or extra punctuation.

If you’re concerned, simply ask the brand to continue the conversation via email, by sending them a message similar to this: “I’m a bit wary of communicating via social media because there are so many scammers about! Could you let me know your company email address as I would prefer to send my details that way”. Then follow the instructions above for checking to see that the email address they give you is genuinely from a brand or agency. 

What to expect if you win on the radio

If you win a prize live on the radio, you will usually hang up after you’ve done your bit on air – although sometimes a producer may come back onto the line to congratulate you. Someone from the main radio station office will then call you back to confirm your contact details – it could be the same day, or it could be the following week.  If you win on Global Radio, you may be texted or emailed a link to complete your details, rather than receiving a phone call. Your details will then be passed on to a prize fulfilment agency (usually Element, Prizeshark or NDL, see below) who will email you with details of your prize. 

Agencies that deal with prize winners

Here’s a helpful list of some of the major agencies that administer prize promotions or organise prize fulfilment on behalf of brands. If you’ve had contact from a Marketing or PR Agency regarding a win, let me know via the comments or my contact form, and I’ll add them to the list.

Cloud Nine Incentives

Crowdify

  • Crowdify is a leading London-based web marketing agency
  • Website: crowdifyglobal.co.uk
  • Contact emails will come from @crowdifyglobal.co.uk
  • Get in touch with Crowdify on 0203 883 8460

Element London

  • Element is a prize agency creating and managing bespoke prizes, incentives and rewards. They often work with Bauer radio stations to fulfil prizes. 
  • Website: www.element-london.com
  • Contact emails will come from: @element-london.com 
  • Get in touch with Element at team@element-london.com or call 020 8871 9959

Hashting

  • Hashting run cashback and instant win promotions via text and WhatsApp entry. Clients include Britvic and Higgidy.
  • Website: www.hashting.com
  • Get in touch with Hashting at info@hashting.com
  • Contact texts and WhatsApp messages will come from +447520 632631 (save this to your contacts!)

MRM

  • MRM is the UK’s largest and busiest competition handling house
  • Website: www.mrm.co.uk
  • Get in touch with MRM on 01858 410510

NDL

  • NDL are experts in prize and winner management, and fulfil most Global Radio prizes. 
  • Website: www.ndlgroup.com
  • Contact emails will come from @ndlgroup.com
  • Get in touch with NDL at hello@ndlgroup.com or call 020 7428 3090 

Prizeology

  • Prizeology is a prize promotions agency, with clients including Tesco. They handle a lot of TTW (text to win) promotions.
  • Website: www.prizeology.com 
  • Contact emails will come from @prizeology.com, @loveprizes.co.uk or @tescoprizes.com. Your winning notification for a Tesco TTW will come by text message, and it will ask you to send an email to @tescoprizes.com to claim the prize. Include your name and address details in this email. 
  • Get in touch with Prizeology at hello@prizeology.com or call 020 7856 0402

Prize Professionals

  • Prize Professionals assist marketing agencies and brands with their incentive campaigns
  • Website: prizeprofessionals.com
  • Contact emails will come from @prizeprofessionals.com
  • Get in touch with Prize Professionals on 020 3051 3150 or at hello@prizeprofessionals.co.uk

Prizeshark

  • Prizeshark is a leading global competitions, promotions and rewards agency, and work with Global radio stations to fulfil prizes. 
  • Website: prizeshark.com
  • Contact emails will come from: @prizeshark.com
  • Get in touch with Prizeshark at info@prizeshark.com or call 01622 397267

PromoVeritas

Savvy

  • Savvy is a marketing agency, specialising in shopper marketing. Clients include Robinsons, Fruit Shoot, Rustlers and Britvic.
  • Website: www.getsavvy.com
  • Contact emails will come from @getsavvy.com 
  • Get in touch with GetSavvy at sayhello@getsavvy.com or call 0113 237 6500

TLC Marketing

  • TLC is a global promotions and loyalty agency, working with clients like Stork, Gü, McDonald’s and LG.
  • Website: www.tlcmarketing.com, www.tlcrewards.com
  • Contact emails will come from @tlcrewards.com or @tlcmarketing.com
  • Get in touch with TLC via their contact form

tpf

  • tpf are global content marketing specialists, and look after entry solutions, data management and winner selection for global brands.
  • Website: https://tpf.london
  • Contact emails will come from: @tpf.london
  • Get in touch with tbf at hello@tpf.london

Umbrella

  • Umbrella look after brand prize promotions: optimising responses, delivering prizes and keeping budgets in check
  • Website: team-umbrella.co.uk
  • Contact emails will come from @team-umbrella.co.uk
  • Get in touch with Umbrella on 01844 20 20 45

VCG PromoRisk

  • VCG (Vernon Creighton Gibbs) are the world’s leading sales promotion management provider. They don’t mention VCG in communications with winners, but will use the brand or promotion name at the start of their email address.  
  • Website: www.vcgpromorisk.com
  • Contact emails will come from: @responsehandlingteam.co.uk or @promotioncustomerservices.com
  • Get in touch at VCG LImited, PO Box 1079, Hemel Hempstead, HP1 1GY

Zeal Creative

Companies that deal with radio & magazine comps

Bauer Media

  • Bauer own many media brands, including radio stations and magazines. 
  • Website: www.bauermedia.co.uk
  • Contact emails will come from: @bauermedia.co.uk

Global

  • Global own many media brands, including radio stations Heart, Radio X and Capital.
  • Website: www.global.com
  • Contact emails will come from: @global.com

Hearst

  • Hearst contact the winners of magazine competitions 
  • Website: www.hearstmagazines.co.uk or www.hearst.co.uk
  • Contact emails will come from: @hearst.co.uk
  • For cash prizes, Hearst will email to ask for your mobile number and then they text you a password which you can use to arrange a bank payment via HSBC (this process can take a long time).

Puzzler

Giveaway Treasures

  • Giveaway Treasures host daily entry magazine competitions
  • Website: www.giveawaytreasures.co.uk
  • Contact emails will come from: @competitionadmin.co.uk 

Other agencies that contact prize winners

More genuine prize fulfilment contact emails

In addition, SuperLucky readers have also had authentic prize fulfilment emails from the following addresses, which do not have a corresponding website:

  • @coopttw.co.uk
  • @incentivebank.com
  • @nestlepromotions.com

This post will be regularly updated with agency details, so please do get in touch if you have an address to contribute!

Enjoyed this? You might also like: How do I know if I’ve won a competition?

4 Responses

  1. Sylvia Mary Robbins says:
    25/07/2023 at 5:24 pm

    Thanks for this.
    When I receive emails about suspect prizes, banking stuff, or anything I think is dodgy, Yahoo are very good and put the scammers in my spam box. I hover on their address, and it’s usual gobbledegook. By clicking on raw message in other options it can be traced back.Before I delete it, or block it, I report it to phishing@gov.org
    I also believe that on Fb real companies have a tick or another proof that they are real.

    Reply
  2. Paul says:
    12/04/2023 at 9:46 pm

    You forgot Crowdify and Umbrella

    Reply

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