Tips to Avoid Lottery Scams
Posted: Saturday, July 25, 2009
by Steve Nickson
Watch for Scams
Lottery scams usually begin with an unexpected email notification that "You have won!" a large sum of money in a lottery.
To reduce suspicion, it may say that your email address was collected online and attached to a random number that was subsequently entered in a draw for the lottery.
You are usually told to keep the notice secret, "due to a mix-up in some of the names and numbers," and to contact a "claims agent." If you respond in any way to the email, the scammers will send further messages or even contact you by phone in an attempt to draw you deeper into the scam.
An alternative request is for you to provide banking details, a large amount of personal information, and copies of your driver's license and passport. These requests are supposedly to prove your identity and facilitate the transfer of your winnings.
However, if you comply with these requests, the scammers will have enough information to steal your identity.
Sometimes the scammers give you the option of opening an account at a named bank as an alternative to paying upfront fees. However, the bank will be a fake with a legitimate looking website and will insist on an initial deposit of $3000 as a requirement for opening the account. They may even give you a username and password so you can look at the money in 'your' account [making a web page look like an online bank account, and creating a password protected web page is easy].
What do they Want From You in the Lottery Scams?
They want your money or your identity or both. They steal your identity by using your personal banking, passport, drivers license or credit card information to open accounts in your name. They can take out loans in your name and not repay them, get a drivers license with your name and their photo, or purchase items in your name and not pay for them.
They commit crimes using your name, and you are left explaining to the bank, creditors or the police.
How to Recognize Lottery Scams or Prize Scams
* The information advises that you have won a prize - but you did not enter any competition run by the prize promoters. Usually it is an unsolicited email. If a lottery offering millions of dollars in prizes has to go out to the internet to find entrants and enter them for free - how would it make any money to offer the huge prizes?
* The lottery is based overseas and you are not a resident or citizen of that country, and have not bought a ticket while visiting that country
* You are advised not to tell anyone about your win in the lottery or contest until all the paperwork is finalized and the winnings have been deposited into your account.
Legitimate lotteries and contests will never ask you to do that. The scammers are hoping you will keep quiet and not tell anyone because other people might realize its a scam and warn you about it
* A request for payment up front to cover taxes, administration fees etc. Only lottery scams require payments before you collect any winnings
* The email advises the winners were selected at random from their email addresses, through a computer ballot, or from an online directory
* Lottery scams almost always use free email accounts such as Yahoo, Gmail, MSN, Hotmail and Live. Legitimate businesses would not use them Spanish and Dutch Lottery Scams The letters, faxes and emails advise you of a major win in a recent draw of overseas lottery. They usually state they are located in Spain or the Netherlands although there are also versions referring to lotteries in the United Kingdom, South Africa and Australia. The El Gordo Spanish Sweepstake Lottery (and variations on this name) is the most common version and the lottery letters rely on people confusing them with authorized Spanish lotteries such as the El Gordo de la Primitiva and El Gordo de Navidad.
Remember
* If you did not buy a lottery ticket, you cannot win a lottery
* If you receive a check for a lottery you did not enter, its counterfeit Lottery Scams Advice
* Do not respond to the offer as you are likely to receive many more
* Do not send any money
* Do not give out any personal information Steve Nickson makes it easy to avoid being scammed. Find out how scams work, how to recognize them, and the steps to take to avoid becoming a victim by visiting Watch for Scams
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Top-level comments on this article: (3 total)Yes thanks. Beware of THE CANADIAN LOTTERY/MOBILE DRAW.ONTARIO 49 7 PLOUGH PLACE, ODON, EC4A 1DE, UNITED KINGDOM, There is no such address in London and the phone is a answering machine. The Advocate to assist you if you can't go to London in person is very unproffesional. He answers his business phone with "Hallo" and call you "Ma" He don't know his own address and the Lotto with held information like trading hours and they think they can do a taxclearance and criminal record from UK. I'm not stupid I'm not a resident in UK I don't have to pay taxes and the lottery in UK is taxfree I won't get a visa if I'm a criminal. I did a check on them the address is fake and so the clearance certificate to enter Heatrow airport, which I must complete with personal details. THEY are the criminals and they belong behind bars I wont forgive them for the heart attack they caused an innocent old man making him believe he won millions
Because of the great advent of online lottery in the big industry of online casino industry, scammers are also getting their way to collect sum of money from the internet users.
There is no absolute tips and strategy that can be effective into lottery. Maybe in some online casino games like poker and blackjack but not in lottery.
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