May 30, 2008
Lottery scams don't just happen online. As one reader (self-dubbed 'Almost Scammed') describes, these scams can also arrive via standard postal mail:
"I was sent a letter in the mail and the address on the envelope was Crystal Trade Inc. 2555 Kenndy N Sherbrooke QC J1E 2G8. When I opened it, it said it was from Crystal Trade Financial Group of Publishers Sweepstakes 4555 Spruce Ave. Abbotsford B C. V3t 2W4. It went on to say that This was my final notification and I was a winner in an International promotions/prize sweepstakes lottery."
The letter even included a check and instructions to contact Sherry Zilber at 1-306-351-7807. Almost Scammed called the number, asked if it was a scam, and was assured by 'Sherry Zilber' that she had indeed won 75,000. But there was a catch. As Almost Scammed explains, "EXCEPT I needed to go to my bank and take the check and cash it and then call her back to tell me where to Western Union the money to a man who collects fees and then I would recieve the rest of my money in a day or so after."
Already a bit dubious at having allegedly won a lottery she never entered, Almost Scammed became even more suspicious at this point. So she became a cyber sleuth, turning to the Internet to search for information that confirmed her suspicions. Almost Scammed confronted the fraudsters with this information, at which point they hurled obscenities at her, telling her 'don't call back, b****'.
Almost Scammed is not only smart, she's lucky. Here's how the scam operates. The target victim cashes the check and sends the requested fee to the scammers. A week or more later, the cashed check will be rejected because it's a forged/stolen/bogus check. The victim will not only be out the 'processing fee' they sent the scammers, but will owe any spent funds on the original check, and quite likely owe bank additional fees on top of that.
The odds of winning a legitimate lottery you actually entered is one in millions (you're more likely to be struck by lightening). The odds of winning a lottery you never entered are absolutely nil. No matter how tempting it might be to ignore the obvious and believe you won, take a cue from Almost Scammed and refuse to be a victim.
