Protecting Personal Information In Sweepstakes And Contests

Sponsors of sweepstakes and contests need to be especially careful to protect all personal private information they receive from entrants in the promotions they sponsor. This is a lesson a radio station in Oregon learned earlier this year.

According to news reports, in February of this year, the owner of eight radio stations in the Portland area had data containing personal information from listeners stolen from an employee's car. The information was on back-up cartridges that were in a backpack. The cartridges contained social security numbers, bank account numbers, and other personal information from the station's clients, vendors, and listeners, including contestants in the station's sweepstakes and contests.