I am the luckiest person alive. I discovered that I had won 1.5 million Euros in UK lottery, one million Euros in Winx International Lottery, 1.5million Euros from 2007 E-Mail Lottery and 500,000 Pounds in an E-Mail Lottery held by Coca Cola Company. Wow! Wow!
These schemes are often a scam. People will give their bank accounts numbers and wire money to get more. This could be in exchange for a quick buck or a million euros.
This type of lottery and sweepstakes scheme has been around long before the advent of the internet. One example is the fake sweepstakes that required you to pay an entry fee in order to claim your prize. It was more than what the “prize” was worth. Another variant of this scheme required the potential winner to call a specific number to determine if they were a winner. The potential winner was charged a fixed amount per minute and had to wait for a long time before they could call back. The scamming company that made the calls was the real winner.
The thieves of today have many options for scam delivery methods, including the mail, telephone, and internet. The same applies regardless of how the scam is delivered. If it sounds too good to true, it probably is.
How can you recognize a lottery or sweepstakes scam?
There are legitimate lotteries, sweepstakes and offers. Who hasn’t purchased a multi-state or state lottery ticket at their local lottery retailer. Who hasn’t seen data sgp a sweepstakes a company advertises in the Sunday newspaper’s coupon section? Send it to us with your address and name.
This is the best way to determine if you are a victim of a scam. You have entered your name and address into a legitimate lottery. You are not notified that you won a lottery or sweepstakes if you haven’t entered or purchased a ticket.
It is also illegal to use the telephone or mail to play lotteries between states or national borders. You could be charged with illegal activities if you offer to buy lottery tickets in other states or countries.
Foreign scammers use a variety of tactics to trick you into believing they are offering an “advancement” on your winnings. Scammers will send you a check to cover a portion of your “winnings.” You will need to wire the money for tax payments or any other official purpose. The money that you wired will be in their hands by the time they discover their check bounced. It’s also harder to trace because it was wired.
Lottery fraudsters don’t always use the phone or e-mail. Sometimes, they are able to do the dirty work in person. One scam is this: A person approaches you in person and claims that he or she has won the lottery, but that he or she is not eligible to claim it. If you claim the prize, they offer to split the winnings with you. It sounds great, right? You must withdraw money from your account before you can claim the prize from the lottery retailer. Then, you must give the money to the ticket holder in good faith. The thief will have long gone by the time you realize you are holding a non-winning lotto ticket.
These scams can be avoided by remembering the following:
Lotteries
o It is illegal to use the telephone or mail to play lotteries beyond borders.
It’s a scam to ever get a call, letter, or e-mail from someone claiming you have won the lottery.
Sweepstakes
o A company cannot require you to pay money to claim a prize in sweepstakes.
o A company cannot suggest that purchasing something will increase your chances of winning.
o Companies can’t ask you for money for taxes that you owe for winning sweepstakes.
Avoid entering sweepstakes at mall displays. Often, these people are simply looking for your address to use in a future sweepstakes scam.
You must only enter sweepstakes offered by well-known companies and you will not be charged a fee for entering.