[RP TownTalk] Beware - Foreign Lottery Scam

Sat Jul 25 17:08:08 UTC 2009

Hi neighbors,

I just wanted to alert you to something I received in the mail today in case anyone else has been targeted.  Simply put, I got this strange letter from a company in Canada telling me I won a sweepstakes that included a very legitimate looking check of $3,850. I instantly thought, "this must be a scam".  So, I did what everyone else would hopefully do before cashing a strange check and responding to phone number on the letter - I looked up the sweepstakes and company name in google. Lo and behold this is what I found on the Illinois bbb.org site - http://heartofillinois.bbb.org/article/sweepstakes-foreign-lottery-work-at-home-and-other-scams-using-fake-checks-3485:

"In a new twist to an old scam, Canadian and other international lottery scams are now using bogus cashier's checks made out to the victim to collect upfront fees.  Other scams using fake checks include work at home offers to "process payments" or do "mystery shopping" by depositing checks and wiring funds to a location outside of the U.S., and overpayment scams where an individual claims to have "accidentally" sent too much money for a transaction (these often target sellers through online auctions or businesses) and request that the extra funds be deposited and returned to the buyer with the item (in this case the seller is out all of the funds and the product).

In the lottery or sweepstakes scam, the consumer receives a letter stating he or she is the winner of several thousand to several million dollars in an international lottery.  In order to collect the "winnings" the victim is required to pay an upfront processing fees and taxes - a common ploy of international lottery scams.  In this version, though, the supposed lottery includes a cashier's check for the consumer to cash to pay for these fees.  

Consumers who deposit these checks may find they initially appear to be valid, but later find out that the company whose information was used on the "cashier's check" had their information stolen.  The consumer then has to pay bank fees, and the money they've wired to the foreign lottery is long gone.

Before being tempted to take the bait, ask yourself, if the organization has the money to write a check for the consumer, why have the extra step of sending the money to the consumer then having it returned?  Consumers are reminded that one should NEVER pay money to win a sweepstakes.  Legitimate prizes do not come with processing fees, and taxes are paid directly to the Internal Revenue Service after winnings are collected. 
Additionally, in Canada, there are no Canadian taxes or any other fees to pay on lottery winnings, and winners have to collect in person, in Canada.

The only lotteries which are legal within the United States are official state-run lotteries.  Foreign lotteries violate U.S. Postal Service statues, though they may not violate the statutes of the country from which they originate.  Foreign lottery solicitations should be brought to the attention of the U.S. Postal Service.

Many claim to be from outside of North America, but consumers are directed to contact a Canadian phone number for instructions in how to claim a prize.

The Illinois Attorney General urges anyone who has been victimized by a phony check drawn on a federally insured financial institution to contact the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation at 877-275-3342.  If the check is drawn on a foreign bank, contact the U.S. Secret Service at 202-406-5572 or at ww.secretservice.gov.  Consumers can also seek help through the Attorney General's Consumer Complaint hotline at 217-782-1090.

The National Consumers League has developed a website to help individuals who may still be tempted to deposit one of these checks investigate the offer: http://www.fakechecks.org."

Then the site goes on to list a long list of names of these scam companies.

If you have received a similar letter, please be careful, do your research, and report the fraud to the relevant US gov. organization. 

~ Adrienne

_________________________________________________________________
Bing™ brings you maps, menus, and reviews organized in one place. Try it now.
http://www.bing.com/search?q=restaurants&form=MLOGEN&publ=WLHMTAG&crea=TXT_MLOGEN_Local_Local_Restaurants_1x1