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Are you a comper? Make sure you don’t give too much away

Paloma Kubiak
Written By:
Paloma Kubiak
Posted:
Updated:
17/07/2017

People entering competitions risk being scammed, with many sharing their personal details before checking the offer is legitimate.

Seven in 10 plug their details into competition sites without checking whether they’re entering a legitimate prize offer.

More than a fifth (22%) said they would consider giving all three key pieces of information (name, address, date of birth) to stand a chance of grabbing an offer.

Just 31% said they routinely check to determine whether an offer is real before entering their personal details.

The research from Nationwide Building Society found that many people actually regret providing such information later down the line. Nationwide said it can give fraudsters a head start on impersonating someone.

Its 2,000-strong poll found that 18-24-year-olds are four times more likely to give out their personal details on a cold call than those aged 55+. This age group is also three times more likely than those aged 35-44 of giving their bank details to an unfamiliar online website when shopping.

Stuart Skinner, director of fraud at Nationwide Building Society, said: “Brits are much more willing to take a risk with their personal information if they think there is a bargain to be had. It’s very easy to be swept away with the prize on offer and not stop to think whether it is valid.  Our advice is, if something seems too good to be true, it usually is, so it’s wise to be suspicious. People should take a bit of time to do some research and check the source is valid, particularly if it’s a website they are using for the first time.”