🎮 Interactive
5 min play
·
March 24, 2026
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By eosguide team
Prize or Bust: A Sweepstakes Survival Story
Think Oregon Trail, but instead of dysentery, it's junk mail. Next-Gen ran a fake sweepstakes scheme for years, collecting fees from over 100,000 people who never won a thing. The FTC settled for $30 million. Play through the decisions those people actually faced.
The real Next-Gen story
Next-Gen Inc. and its related companies mailed fake sweepstakes and "game of skill" contest notices to consumers across the country and internationally for years. The scheme specifically targeted senior citizens. Participants paid entry fees they believed would unlock cash prizes. No prizes were ever awarded. Many people paid repeatedly before stopping.
The FTC and the State of Missouri sued. In 2019, the operators agreed to forfeit $30 million. The FTC distributed over $10.7 million in a first round of refunds in July 2022. A second round is now going out: 104,820 checks totaling more than $13.5 million to people who cashed their first check.
If you received a second check, cash it within 90 days. Questions? Call Rust Consulting at 1-833-721-2728. Official page: ftc.gov/enforcement/refunds/next-gen-refunds.
