Fake winner messages
How real South African competition winners are actually contacted, and how to check a WhatsApp or SMS message claiming you have won.
Read itHow to win a car in South Africa
A car is the prize most South Africans would love to win, and the one scammers use most. This is how car competitions actually work, where the real ones come from, and what to check before you spend money entering.
Who gives away cars
Most car competitions are product promotions. Grocery and personal care brands run them through Checkers, Shoprite, Pick n Pay and SPAR, fuel groups run them at their forecourts, and pet food, cereal and drinks brands put them on pack. The car gets attention, and the purchase is the entry.
Banks, insurers and apps run them too, usually to win new customers. These are often free to enter, because what the promoter wants is a quote request, a new account or an app sign up rather than a sale.
How you enter
Loyalty card draws are the most common. You buy the qualifying products in one transaction and swipe Xtra Savings, Smart Shopper or SPAR Rewards at the till, and that swipe is your entry. Keep the till slip, because the promoter can ask for it before handing over the car.
Other promotions ask you to send a photo of your slip on WhatsApp, scan a QR code on the pack, or dial a USSD code and type in a code from the packaging. USSD sessions are usually charged at a small rate per 20 seconds, which the terms will state.
Free routes exist too: a no obligation insurance quote, a new app account or a vote. Every listing on Yebo Wins says how you enter and whether you have to spend anything.
What a car prize really includes
The terms decide everything. Some promoters cover first registration, licensing, delivery to a dealer near you and a service plan. Others hand over the keys and leave insurance, licence renewals and running costs to you.
Look for the model and specification, where and when the car is handed over, and whether you need a valid South African driver's licence. Most car prizes cannot be swapped for cash or given to someone else.
How to improve your chances
Read how entries are counted. Many loyalty card draws count every separate qualifying purchase, so shopping on different days earns more entries than one big shop.
Enter the competitions fewer people know about. Smaller regional promotions and ones with a short entry window draw far fewer entries than national campaigns on television.
Make sure your details are right. A winner who cannot be reached, or whose loyalty card profile has an old phone number, can lose the prize to a redraw.
How to spot a fake car win
Fake car wins arrive by WhatsApp, SMS, a phone call or a social media message, often with a real brand's logo and a photo of a car. The giveaway is always a payment: a release fee, a delivery charge, a tax bill or an insurance deposit before you can collect.
A real promoter never charges you to receive a prize. Find the competition on the brand's own website or on Yebo Wins, and contact the promoter only through the details in the official terms.