{"id":1650,"date":"2022-07-09T23:01:56","date_gmt":"2022-07-09T23:01:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sweepwidget.com\/docs\/?p=1650"},"modified":"2026-02-09T21:28:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-09T21:28:09","slug":"disallow-entries-using-a-vpn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sweepwidget.com\/docs\/disallow-entries-using-a-vpn","title":{"rendered":"Disallow Entries Using A VPN"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>A <strong>virtual private network<\/strong> (VPN) is a tool that allows internet users to hide their identity (with some limitations). It creates a proxied IP address to mask their true identity. It can make it look like they&#8217;re in another country when they actually aren&#8217;t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While this can be a good thing for privacy advocates, it can also be used maliciously for people to try and cheat at contests. Therefore, SweepWidget provides you the option to allow or disallow VPN usage.  You need to navigate to <strong>Security Settings<\/strong>.  Then click on <strong>Disallow VPN Usage<\/strong> or leave it blank to allow VPN Usage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"749\" src=\"https:\/\/sweepwidget.com\/docs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Screen-Shot-2024-03-17-at-2.20.42-PM-1024x749.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6634\" style=\"width:600px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sweepwidget.com\/docs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Screen-Shot-2024-03-17-at-2.20.42-PM-1024x749.png 1024w, https:\/\/sweepwidget.com\/docs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Screen-Shot-2024-03-17-at-2.20.42-PM-300x219.png 300w, https:\/\/sweepwidget.com\/docs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Screen-Shot-2024-03-17-at-2.20.42-PM-768x561.png 768w, https:\/\/sweepwidget.com\/docs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Screen-Shot-2024-03-17-at-2.20.42-PM.png 1242w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What Gets Detected<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When VPN blocking is enabled, SweepWidget checks for the following types of connections:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>VPN connections<\/strong> \u2013 Commercial VPN services (NordVPN, ExpressVPN, etc.)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Proxy servers<\/strong> \u2013 HTTP\/SOCKS proxies used to mask IP addresses<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Tor exit nodes<\/strong> \u2013 Traffic routed through the Tor anonymity network<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Known abusive IPs<\/strong> \u2013 IP addresses with a history of fraudulent activity<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Bot traffic<\/strong> \u2013 Automated tools and scripts<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How It Works<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>SweepWidget uses third-party IP intelligence services to analyze each visitor\u2019s connection in real-time. When a user attempts to enter your giveaway, their IP address is checked against databases of known VPN providers, proxy servers, and Tor exit nodes. If a match is found, the entry is blocked and the user is shown an error message.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Recommendation<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>We <strong>strongly recommend<\/strong> enabling VPN blocking for all contests, especially those with valuable prizes. VPN users can bypass geo-restrictions and IP-based duplicate detection, making it easier to submit fraudulent entries. Combining VPN blocking with the Strong or Strict security level provides the best protection against fraud.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A virtual private network (VPN) is a tool that allows internet users to hide their identity (with some limitations). It creates a proxied IP address to mask their true identity. It can make it look like they&#8217;re in another country when they actually aren&#8217;t. While this can be a good thing for privacy advocates, it can also be used maliciously for people to try and cheat at contests. Therefore, SweepWidget provides you the option to allow or disallow VPN usage. You need to navigate to Security Settings. Then click on Disallow VPN Usage or leave it blank to allow VPN Usage. What Gets Detected When VPN blocking is enabled, SweepWidget checks for the following types of connections: How It Works SweepWidget uses third-party IP intelligence services to analyze each visitor\u2019s connection in real-time. When a user attempts to enter your giveaway, their IP address is checked against databases of known VPN providers, proxy servers, and Tor exit nodes. If a match is found, the entry is blocked and the user is shown an error message. Recommendation We strongly recommend enabling VPN blocking for all contests, especially those with valuable prizes. VPN users can bypass geo-restrictions and IP-based duplicate detection, making it easier to submit fraudulent entries. Combining VPN blocking with the Strong or Strict security level provides the best protection against fraud.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[62],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1650","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-manage-entries"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Disallow Entries Using A VPN - SweepWidget Help Docs<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Disallow VPN&#039;s from contest entries on SweepWidget. 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