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LOTTERY SCAMS Unscrupulous scammers and scavengers come at you from many directions - over the internet via emails, through the mail, over the telephone, they even come knocking at your door. A local lady visited the News office this week who had been victimized by one of the lottery scams - scammed out of almost $3,000 earlier this month. She received a letter - a "Final Notification" - dated Jan. 4 from the vicepresident of Monument Sweepstakes Prize, Inc. that she had won $50,000. She was guaranteed a lump sum payment of $50,000, "at no cost to yourself." The letter went on to explain that she would receive her funds as soon as a "clearance fee" had been deducted from her winnings and paid. "For security purpose and clarity, we strongly advise that you keep your winning information confidential until your claim has been fully processed and your money remitted to you." After responding as directed, she received a second letter dated Jan. 11 telling her that the time period to claim her prize will soon expire. With the letter was a check for $2,950 she was instructed to deposit in her account. She was then given instructions to withdraw $2,950 from her account and instructed where to send it for clearance so she could receive her winnings. The cashier's check was on the Country Federal Credit Union in Baldwin, Fla., and was authentic enough that her bank deposited it into her account. Problem was the check was not issued by the credit union, but had been produced and forged by scam artists in London. By the time the victim received notice from the bank that the $2,950 had been charged back to her account because of the forged check, her money was gone. The victim can and should report her loss to authorities and postal officials. But, there is virtually no hope of her recovering her money. There are thousands of scam artists trying to scam hundreds of thousands of people everyday. Lottery scams seem to be more popular than ever. Almost all emails claiming that you have won anything are scams, and this especially includes lottery winnings. They are generally a form of advanced fee scam similar to the Nigerian Scam, and are trying to drain your bank account, or steal your identity. Don't click on any attachments or links, and don't reply, especially with any personal information. Not all scams come at you on the internet. Many, like the one above come in your mail box. And, every once and a while, one will come knocking on your door. Through the USPS and the Internet they can come from almost anywhere. While many do originate in the U.S., most originate overseas - London, Nigeria, Canada, Europe, Australia, etc. If you do receive a check in the mail like our most recent victim, do not put it in your bank account. Turn the check and the letter it came with over to authorities. And do not try to cash the check. If you do cash the check, you could end up with a warrant issued for YOUR arrest. Federal law enforcement authorities are intercepting and destroying millions of foreign lottery mailings sent or delivered by the truckload into the U.S. And consumers, lured by prospects of instant wealth, are responding to the solicitations that do get through - to the tune of $120 million a year, according to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. The FTC has these words of caution for consumers who are thinking about responding to a foreign lottery: + If you play a foreign lottery - through the mail or over the telephone - you're violating federal law. + There are no secret systems for winning foreign lotteries. Your chances of winning more than the cost of your tickets are slim to none. + If you purchase one foreign lottery ticket, expect many more bogus offers for lottery or investment "opportunities." Your name will be placed on "sucker lists" that fraudulent telemarketers buy and sell. + Keep your credit card and bank account numbers to yourself. Scam artists often ask for them during an unsolicited sales pitch. The bottom line, according to the FTC: Ignore all mail and phone solicitations for foreign lottery promotions. If you receive what looks like lottery material from a foreign country, give it to your local postmaster. The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop and avoid them. To file a complaint or to get free information on consumer issues, visit www.ftc.gov or call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877- 382-4357); TTY: 1-866-653- 4261. The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft, and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
