Lottery Scam

What Is a Lottery Scam?

A typical lottery scam begins with an unexpected email notification that "You have won!" a large sum of money in a lottery. The recipient of the message is the target of the scam. Many email lottery scams use the names of legitimate lottery organizations, but this does not mean the legitimate organizations are in any way involved with the scams.

Email lottery scams are a type of advance fee fraud.

How Lottery Scam Works?

It starts when you receive an e-mail, which states that you have won a major prize in an international lottery. Supposedly, your e-mail address was collected online and attached to a random number that was subsequently entered in a draw for the lottery. In order to claim your prize, you are instructed to contact the official "agent" in charge of your case. You are also advised to keep the win confidential for "security reasons". 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.

You are asked to provide personal banking details, a large amount of personal information, and copies of your driver's license and passport. These requests are 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.

Sooner or later, the scammers will request some sort of advance fee supposedly to cover administration, legal or delivery costs. The requests for money will go on until the victim realizes what is happening or has no further money to send.

In some cases, the scammers give victims the option of opening an account at a particular bank as an alternative to paying upfront fees. However, this "bank" which is completely bogus, will insist on an initial deposit of $3000 as a requirement for opening the account. The fake bank will have a legitimate looking website to reinforce the scam. In other cases, the victim is given the option of traveling to an overseas destination and paying a cash fee to facilitate the release of the funds. However, any "winnings" released to the victim will be counterfeit and therefore worthless.

What To Do If You Receive a Lottery Scam Email?

If you receive one of these scam emails, it is important that you do not respond to it in any way. Nothing in the winning notification letter is true. The scammers are likely to act upon any response from those they see as potential victims. Although it can be educational and even entertaining to "bait" these scammers, such attempts should only be attempted under controlled conditions. People who run these scams are criminals and could even resort to violence and intimidation to meet their aims. You should delete the email without replying. Before you delete the message, you may report the scam by forwarding the email to the address supplied on the FraudWatch International website. (http://www.fraudwatchinternational.com/report_fraud/report-fraud/ )

What To Do If You Have Submitted Information to Lottery Scammers?

If you have supplied banking details, a large amount of personal information, and copies of your driver's license and passport to the scammers, then you may become a victim of identity theft. For details on what to do, read the information about identity theft published by the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC). http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft/

What To Do If You Have Already Given Money To Lottery Scammers?

Unfortunately, there is probably very little you can do to recover any money you have already supplied. However, you should save all received and sent email and text messages, save all documents of transactions and remittances and inform your local law enforcement agency immediately. Never agree to meet the criminals in person in order to receive a prize - you will not receive any money and you may be putting yourself in danger. Also, take steps to protect your identity by accessing information about identity theft published by the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC). http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft/