Stay Safe

Prevent Scams

Fake accounts copy our logo, our photos and our name, then tell people they have won a car. This page shows you exactly how to tell a real Speed Junkies HQ message from an impersonator, and what to do if one reaches you.

Confirm the official website

Speed Junkies HQ operates one online store: speedjunkieshq.com. Check the address bar character by character before you enter anything. Look-alike domains swap letters, add hyphens or extra words, or use a different ending such as .shop, .store or .net.

Checkout always happens on Shopify under the speedjunkieshq.com domain. If a page asks you to pay somewhere else, close it.

  • A domain that is not exactly speedjunkieshq.com
  • Extra words, hyphens or numbers bolted on to the name
  • A different ending such as .net, .shop, .store or .co
  • A payment page hosted somewhere other than our checkout
  • A link that was shortened so you cannot see where it goes

Not sure whether a link is ours? Do not click it. Open speedjunkieshq.com yourself and navigate from there, or ask us through the Help Center contact form.

Verify official social accounts

The four profiles listed further down this page are the only social accounts Speed Junkies HQ operates. Before you trust a message, open the profile and compare it against the exact links we publish.

Check the handle character by character, tap through to the profile rather than trusting a display name, and look at the account history. Impersonators are usually brand new, have almost no posts, and cannot be reached from our real profiles.

  • The handle does not match ours exactly
  • Underscores, dots, extra numbers or a doubled letter
  • Our logo and photos copied onto a brand new account
  • Almost no post history, or every post uploaded on the same day
  • The account is not linked from any of our real profiles
  • Comments are turned off so nobody can warn you

Warning signs in a message

Impersonators nearly always want speed and secrecy. Any single item below is enough reason to stop.

  • A direct message says you won and tells you to act immediately
  • You are asked for a password or an account recovery code
  • You are asked for a one-time verification code sent to your phone or email
  • You are asked to pay a fee, deposit, tax or shipping charge to release a prize
  • Payment is requested in gift cards, cryptocurrency, wire transfer or a peer-to-peer app
  • You are asked for full card numbers or online banking logins
  • The link points to a domain that has nothing to do with Speed Junkies HQ
  • The conversation is moved to another account, another app or a personal number
  • The grammar, spelling or logo is slightly off
  • You are told to keep the win secret until you pay

Know the difference between a scam and a real obligation. The Official Rules do place real costs on a genuine winner: taxes on the prize value, an IRS Form 1099 filed in the winner’s name, and title, licence, insurance, registration and transportation costs for a vehicle. That is normal and it is documented in the rules. What is never legitimate is being asked to send money, card details or bank details to anyone in order to release a prize.

How a real winner is contacted

The current Official Rules are specific about this, and it is the fastest way to spot a fake.

A potential winner is contacted by the Sponsor or the Administrator by phone, email and/or USPS mail, and a potential winner of a Speed Junkies sweepstakes is contacted by American Sweepstakes Company by phone. The rules also state plainly that winners are never contacted through social media, and that you should never provide credit card details, bank information or a payment of any kind as a condition of a prize award.

An official profile link proves that an account is ours. It does not prove that every message claiming to come from Speed Junkies HQ is genuine. Always check the message against the Official Rules for the sweepstakes involved before you rely on it.

What to do if you are targeted

  1. Stop communicating with the account. You do not owe a scammer a reply.
  2. Do not click any links and do not open attachments.
  3. Never share a password, a one-time verification code, card details or bank details.
  4. Take screenshots of the profile, the handle and the whole conversation.
  5. Report and block the impersonating account on the platform it is using.
  6. Contact Speed Junkies HQ through the official Help Center and send us the screenshots and the exact profile link.
  7. Read the current Official Rules before relying on any giveaway message.
  8. If money or personal data has already been sent, contact your bank straight away.

You can report fraud to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission at reportfraud.ftc.gov or by calling 877-382-4357.

Still not sure?

Ask us. There is no such thing as a wasted question here, and we would much rather check a message for you than help you afterwards.

Email support@speedjunkieshq.com, or use the official Help Center contact form. Speed Junkies HQ will never ask you for a password, a verification code or a payment in a direct message.

Official Speed Junkies HQ links