Scammers are on the hunt and the lottery is a very easy way to commit fraud.
Photo: SAUL LOEB / AFP / Getty Images
One of the most profitable businesses is, without a doubt, everything related to the lottery, so the players are not exempt from being victims of crime and above all, falling into the hands of swindlers, who with their skill are capable of obtaining a lot of money with tricky tricks.
Those who are regular lottery players may know perfectly well how the systems work; nevertheless, those who are not as regular gamblers are likely to not master the subject and easily fall for a scam.
It is common that you can receive a phone call, an email, a text message, a WhatsApp or something written by mail telling you that you have won a lottery draw, whose prize can be in cash or an item of value, something that at first you do not it is common.
But, how can I know if any of this is real or if it is rather some scammer who wants to trick you? Here are some tips given por la Federal Trade Commission so that you learn to distinguish if you are being a victim of the underworld.
10 things you should know to avoid being a victim of a scam with a lottery game
1) Pay to get the prize. It is the most classic scam that occurs. All lottery prizes are awarded for free, so no company charges you shipping or processing fees. If you’re asked to pay with a money transfer, sending cash, or paying with gift cards or cryptocurrency to get your prize, don’t do it. Scammers use these payments because it’s hard to trace who the money went to. And it is almost impossible to get your money back.
2) They tell you to pay to increase your chances of winning. Winning the lottery is a matter of chanceso nobody can guarantee you through a fee that you will be a winner.
3) Provide your financial information. Official lottery companies do not ask winners for their bank accounts or their credit card numbers so they can claim their prizes.
4) Scammers pose as government people. You may receive calls from people appearing to work for government agencies and even posing as Federal Trade Commission staff. The truth is no one from the government will call you to inform you that you have won a lottery draw and much less will they ask you for money to be able to pay you the prize.
5) They will use names of organizations that are common. You may receive messages, emails or calls apparently from a state lottery office or from recognized companies that carry out raffles; what you should know is that none of them will ask you for money in advance to be able to pay you a prize. If you have doubts, it is better to contact the company directly to find out if the messages or calls received are real.
6) Calls or messages to obtain personal information. It is possible to receive emails or messages inviting you to enter a link where you must register your data in order to deliver an item, such as iPads or cars theoretically obtained in a lottery draw. In the same way, you are invited not to answer any of these forms because it might be malware.
7) Scammers they will make you believe that you are the only winner of the lottery prize. They may send you a message or email telling you that you are the only winner of a major prize. If your message came by mail, check the postmark on the envelope or postcard. If your “notice” was sent by bulk mail, it means that many other people also received the same notice. For other types of messages, check the internet to see if others report receiving the same message.
8) You are notified that you have won a lottery draw abroad or are invited to participate in one. It is almost certain that messages regarding a foreign lottery come from a scammer, and it’s a bad idea to reply. First, it is illegal for US citizens to play a foreign lottery and second, if you buy a foreign lottery ticket, you are very likely to be scammed.
9) They pressure you to act immediately to get your prize. Most scammers tell you that your lottery prize is a limited time offer, so you must act fast to get the prize. This with the idea that you do not analyze the situation and act on impulse.
10) You receive a check and are asked to pay back some of the money. It is a system of false checks and if you fall, the bank may take several weeks to detect that it is so. In the meantime, the bank has to make the funds available, so it looks like the money is in your account. But once the bank finds out the check is fake, they’ll want the funds back.
If you’re not sure regarding a contest or if the company sends you a prize notification, search the internet to see if you can find anything regarding them. Spell the name with terms like “review,” “complaint,” or “scam.”
What to do if you fall into the hands of a lottery scammer
1) Report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov
2) You can also contact your state attorney general and local consumer protection office.
3) If the prize promotion arrived by mail, report it to Postal Inspection Service.
4) If you think you gave personal information to a scammer, visit IdentityTheft.gov to see the steps you can take to protect your identity.
5) Tell your friends and family. You might help them avoid being scammed.
It may interest you:
* Scammers in the US pose as a millionaire Powerball winner to steal confidential information via Facebook and emails
* 4 tips from a lottery expert to get money with a ticket that did not turn out to be a jackpot winner
* He won $17 million in the lottery and claims to have made 3 big mistakes with his prize
