subject: Internet Lottery Scams [print this page] The Lottery scam has become one of the most lucrative, global cons of the century. Initially contacted by mail, criminals are now also using Internet spyware, business directories, and anywhere else the person's name appears as a means to contact innocent marks. The person contacted is told they have won a large money sweepstakes or lottery and the con begins.
There are a lot of professional criminals who have their method down. They might even have global networks of criminals who have several workers who spend entire days emailing or snail mailing potential marks with this offer. Thousands of forms are sent out on a daily basis.
The individuals sending the letters, will have access to cell phones, and also have the name of the person being scammed, as well as the name of the person who is supposed to have sent the letter. The operator is, in this way, able to ensure that they are using the proper names and fraudulent information associated with each individual, when they are speaking with them on the phone. It is this attention to detail that makes the victim comfortable and confident in the story that they are being told, and it is also why you want to verify who your callers actually are, by utilizing a telephone service such as quick-private-lookup.net/902/682/.
Now that just about everyone has access to the Internet, and Facebook and email are just part of our daily communication, it's not hard at all to find someone's email and get in touch. You might even fall victim to spyware that's placed on your computer which can get a hold of your passwords and financial data in order to steal your money. Just don't open emails that are from people you don't know.
If one is duped into answering the e-mail or letter then another letter will follow. This correspondence usually informs a person that there are certain fees that must be paid to receive the money. Some people send this money and, of course, nothing further is heard from the perpetrators or if anything is heard they are usually asking for more money.
Other parts of a lottery scam are used to obtain personal information from the victim. A letter is sent saying that certain information is required to obtain money. With this information they can go further into identity theft. When this happens it usually takes several months to get things straightened out and some people have had their bank accounts wiped out by this method.
You should exercise extreme care and good judgment, if you should find yourself faced with this circumstance. Through careful examination, you will be able to ascertain that the supposed representative of the lottery funds is actually a fraud.
If you should happen to receive an e-mail or letter claiming that you have won a lottery, there are a few things that you need to consider. First, in order to win a lottery, you must have bought a ticket. Secondly, it is common for lottery tickets to be sold to citizens of the respective countries only. Finally, lottery winners receive their notification through UPS or Fed Ex only, never letter or e-mail. Although we would all like to become extraordinarily wealthy overnight, you must not let this desire, outweigh your good judgment.
