Curious: Does Anyone Ever Win Store Receipt Survey Contests?
BOSTON (CBS) - We've all seen those surveys at the bottom of a receipt.
But are they safe? And what are the odds of winning?
Andrea from Brockton is curious.
She wrote, "I have gone to Home Depot and Lowe's and the receipt says take a survey and win money. Does anybody win?"
The answer is "yes."
WBZ-TV's David Wade reports
Brian Daley of Salem won a $5,000 gift card from Home Depot. He used his winnings to buy a bunch of tools.
You see the offers on a lot of receipts. They say to go to the store's website, fill out a customer survey, and maybe you'll win.
Home Depot and Lowe's offer $5,000.
Walgreens offers up $3,000.
Dunkin's will give you a free donut.
But it's not easy to win.
"A hundred thousand people each week complete the survey across the United States," said Dan Guarino of the Home Depot.
Home depot picks just one winner every three months, giving you a one in 1.3 million chance of success.
It's more likely you'll be hit by lightning or win the same amount on a scratch ticket.
So, what are you giving up in exchange?
Most surveys ask for your email address so you can get discounts or product news.
You usually have the choice to opt out.
There are risks if you do give your email.
Steven Weisman, an expert on internet scams, says, depending on security, hackers can get to the information.
Recently, millions of email addresses were stolen from banks and retailers. Hackers could use that data to rip you off.
So even though completing surveys is low risk, it isn't "no risk."
Experts best advice is to limit how often you give out personal information.
