How to Enter Contest Alerts in Aurora, Colorado Without Scams
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Verify Aurora contest alerts at the sponsor's site, spot payment traps, protect personal data, and report suspicious messages.
To enter a contest mentioned in an alert, independently navigate to the sponsor's website and use the entry page found there. Do not enter through Aurora's emergency-alert system; the city says Alert Aurora is for emergency notices, including severe weather and evacuations. Here, a contest alert means a message pointing to a sweepstakes or prize promotion.
Treat the message as a lead to verify, not as proof that the promotion or prize notice is genuine.
Verification note: Program terms and availability can change. This page was checked against linked sources on August 28, 2026.
Verify the sponsor before entering
Do not rely on a message's link, phone number, or reply address. Find the sponsor's website independently, then compare the promotion name and entry instructions with what the alert claims. This matters even when a familiar company name or logo appears.
The Federal Trade Commission warns that impersonators use recognizable company names and recommends using contact information you locate yourself. If the sponsor's site does not confirm the promotion, do not submit the form or respond to the sender. An unverified alert is not enough evidence that an entry page belongs to the stated sponsor.
Check whether the entry is truly free
A legitimate sweepstakes is free and chance-based. Paying, buying something, or sending money to improve the chance of winning does not turn an offer into a safer opportunity. Colorado's Attorney General says conditioning sweepstakes entry or winning on a fee or purchase is illegal.
Similar-looking names are not proof that a promotion comes from a known sweepstakes company. Before proceeding, stop if the instructions require: "No purchase necessary" means entry does not require buying something. It still describes a chance to win, not a guaranteed reward.
- An entry fee or purchase
- Payment to increase the odds of winning
- Money for taxes, processing, shipping, or prize release
- A wire transfer, gift card, cryptocurrency, cash, or payment-app payment
Recognize a dangerous prize message
A message saying you won is different from an entry invitation. Do not answer or follow its links if it demands a bank account, credit-card number, or Social Security number to claim the prize. Urgency is another warning sign, especially when the sender insists on immediate payment.
Requests to return part of a deposited check are also dangerous because the check can later prove fraudulent. Payment methods such as wire transfers, gift cards, cryptocurrency, cash, and payment apps can make recovery difficult. The FTC identifies these demands and fake-check instructions as major prize-scheme indicators.
Consider the privacy cost of entering
A contest can be legitimate and still create a privacy tradeoff. According to the FTC, promoters may sell entrants' information, resulting in targeted advertising, promotional mail, telemarketing, and spam. Review what information the entry asks for before submitting it.
If the possible prize is not worth the promotional contact or data exposure, skipping the entry is a reasonable consumer-savings decision.
Report a suspicious alert
Do not reply, send payment, or use the contact details in the message. Preserve the message and its sender information if you may need them for a report. Colorado residents can report suspected fake contest alerts to ReportFraud.gov and the Colorado Attorney General.
Mailed promotions can also be reported to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, as described in the FTC's sweepstakes reporting guidance.