OAR 137-020-0440: Prohibitions Applicable to All Promotions (Including Schemes, Sweepstakes, and Contest)

It is unfair or deceptive in trade or commerce for a sponsor to advertise or solicit for a promotion if the sponsor: (1) Misleads a person as to the source of the promotion. This prohibition includes but is not limited to a promotion which indicates or implies that the promotion originates from a government agency, public utility, insurance company, consumer reporting agency, debt collector, law firm, or common carrier, unless such is the case; (2) Misleads a person to believe the number of persons eligible for the prize, contest, or next level of the contest is limited, or that a person has been selected to receive a particular prize, unless such is the case; (3) Represents that a person has been declared a finalist, is in first place, or is otherwise in a limited group of persons with an enhanced likelihood of winning or receiving a prize, from which a single winner or select group of winners will receive a prize, when more than 25% of those receiving the notice have the same chance of winning; (4) Represents directly or by implication that a person will have an increased chance of receiving a prize by making multiple or duplicate purchases, payments or donations, or by entering more than once, unless such is the case; (5) Misleads a person that the person is being notified a second or final time of the opportunity to receive or compete for a prize, unless such is the case; (6) Requires as a condition of participation in any promotion any person to disclose the person’s personal financial data; (7) Creates the reasonable impression that disclosure of a person’s personal financial data is a condition of participating in any promotion; (8) Makes or solicits any charge or fee that is not clearly and conspicuously disclosed in the initial advertisement or solicitation, as a condition of entering or continuing to participate in that promotion; (9) Connects or combines prizes from different promotions unless the fact that the same prizes may be offered in various promotions is clearly and conspicuously disclosed and the combination of prizes will not affect the stated odds of winning; (10) Issues any writing which simulates or resembles: (a) A negotiable instrument as described in ORS 73.1040(1) unless the writing clearly and conspicuously discloses its true value and purposes and the writing would not mislead a reasonable consumer; or (b) An invoice unless the invoice seeks payment for goods, property or services which the recipient has previously agreed to receive from the sponsor. (11) Fails to clearly and conspicuously disclose the verifiable retail value in arabic numerals of any prize which the person receiving the notice has been selected to receive or may be eligible to receive; (12) Fails to clearly and conspicuously disclose the cost of shipping or handling fees or any other charges necessary to participate in a promotion; (13) Fails to clearly and conspicuously make any other disclosure necessary to assure that the promotion is not misleading, unfair, or deceptive; (14) Charges a participant in a promotion for shipping, unless the charge is: (a) Less than or equal to the average cost of postage or the average charge of a delivery service in the business of delivering goods of like size, weight, and kind for shippers other than the offeror of the gift; or (b) Less than or equal to the exact amount for shipping paid to an independent fulfillment house or an independent supplier, either of which is in the business of shipping goods for shippers other than the offeror of the gift; or (15) Charges a participant in a promotion for handling, unless the charge is: (a) Reasonable; (b) Less than or equal to the actual cost of handling; or (c) In the case of a general merchandise retailer, less than or equal to the actual amount for handling paid to an independent fulfillment house or supplier, either of which is in the business of handling goods for businesses other than the offerer of the gift.