must be the luckiest “prize” was worth. Another
person alive. In the past variation of that scheme was
three days I found out I requiring the potential “winner”
won 1.5 Million Euros in the UK to call a certain number to find
lottery, One Million Euros in the out if he or she was a winner.
Winx International Lottery, 1.5 The phone call cost the potential
Million Euros in the 2007 E-Mail “winner” a certain amount per
Lottery, and 500,000 Pounds in an minute with an unusually-long
e-mail lottery held by the Coca wait time on hold. The real
Cola Company. Wow! What did I do winner was the scamming company
to receive all these riches? which made money off the phone
calls.
The sad truth is there are
actually people who fall for Today’s thieves have a wide
these schemes. For the promise of choice of scam-delivery
a quick buck (or million Euros as mechanisms, including in person,
the case may be) people will turn the mail, phone and internet.
over their bank account numbers, However, the same holds true no
wire money in the hopes of matter how the scam is delivered:
getting more back, or give other if it sounds too good to be true,
information that could lead to it is.
identity theft.
How Can You Recognize the
These lottery and sweepstakes Lottery or Sweepstakes Scam?
schemes have gone on long before
the internet, with one of the There are certainly legitimate
oldest being the phony lotteries and sweepstakes offers.
sweepstakes which required an Who hasn’t bought a state or
entrance fee to claim your prize, multi-state lottery ticket from
which amounted to more than the their local lottery retailer? Or,
who hasn’t seen one of those involving lotteries or
sweepstakes offered by a sweepstakes is offering you an
recognized company advertising in “advance” on your winnings. The
the coupon section of the Sunday scam artist will send you a check
newspaper? You fill out the entry for part of your “winnings.” All
form or reasonable facsimile you have to do is wire them
(usually a 3”x5” card) with your payment for “taxes” or other
name and address and send it off. official purposes. By the time
you find out their check has
Therein is your biggest clue as bounced the money you wired is in
to whether you’re the victim of a their hands. And, because it was
scam. In a legitimate lottery or wired it’s harder to trace.
sweepstakes you have bought the
ticket or entered your name and Lottery scammers don’t always use
address. In a scam lottery or e-mail or the phone. Sometimes
sweepstakes you are notified they do their dirty work in
you’ve won when you haven’t even person. A typical scam would go
entered or bought a ticket. something like this: You are
approached in person by someone
In addition, it’s illegal to use who claims he or she just won the
the mail or telephone to play lottery but isn’t eligible to
lotteries across borders, whether claim it. They offer to split the
national or state lines. Any money with you if you claim the
lottery offer involving the prize. Sounds good, right? Except
purchase of lottery tickets for that before you claim the prize
other state or country lotteries from the lottery retailer you are
could end up with you being required to withdraw some money
charged with illegal activities. from your account and give it to
the ticket holder as a good-faith
One ploy used by foreign scammers gesture. By the time you find out
you’re holding a non-winning will improve your chances of
lottery ticket, the thief is winning.
long-gone with your good-faith
money. •Companies cannot ask for money
from you for taxes they say you
In order to protect yourself from owe on a sweepstakes winning.
these scams, it’s important to
remember the following: •Be cautious when entering
sweepstakes from displays you see
Lotteries in malls – often times these are
people just wanting your name and
•It’s illegal to use the mail or address for a future sweepstakes
telephone to play lotteries scam.
across borders.
•Only enter sweepstakes from
•If you ever receive a phone recognizable companies, and never
call, letter or e-mail announcing pay a fee to enter.
you just won a lottery, it’s a
scam. Avoiding being the victim of a
scam takes a healthy dose of
Sweepstakes skepticism. If you are ever
unsure about the legitimacy of an
•It’s illegal for a company to offer made to you, you can call
require you to pay to win or the National Fraud Information
claim a sweepstakes prize. Center’s Hotline at
1-800-876-7060.
•It’s illegal for a company to
suggest that buying something
About the Author:
Shari Hearn is a writer and creator of Safety Tips 411, where you'll learn how to guard against identity theft.
Read more articles by:
Shari Hearn
Article Source: www.iSnare.com 
