How to spot lottery scams! Scambusters

[Catty1]

People lose millions every year in these scams - please put the word out.

It's remarkable that after all the publicity this crime has
received -- we've featured it at least 20 times in Scambusters
issues and the media are full of reports of lottery fraud
victims every week -- people continue to be duped.

you never have to pay to collect your
winnings, whereas asking for money upfront is the key
component of a lottery scam.

In fact, that simple rule applies to all legitimate lotteries
and prize draws. Pin it on your wall and you'll never get
caught out.

(If tax is due on your prize, it's usually deducted from your
winnings before they're handed over. If not, you pay after
you've collected, not out of your own pocket.)

[Karen]

It's pretty unbelievable that anyone would fall for any of these. I know what lottery I have or have not entered, and know of no legitimate lottery that involves randomly selected email addresses!

[Catty1]

Publisher's Clearing House used to do this - you didn't need to enter anything to be "chosen".

The big tip-off is being asked to pay to get your prize.

The article also states that older people fall for this, and will not listen to the other members of their family that tell them it's a con job. Sad.

[Karen]

Any Publisher's Clearing House mail I ever got (since childhood) said you had to do something - mail something back in - in order to be entered into the sweepstakes.

[Taz_Zoee]

Any Publisher's Clearing House mail I ever got (since childhood) said you had to do something - mail something back in - in order to be entered into the sweepstakes.

That is correct. My mom is into PCH big time. She used to always mail in the required document. Now she just has to go online each day to enter.

It is sad that the elderly are taken advantage of with things like this. We had it happen in one of our associations at work. It was a mess because the scammer ended up taking the title of the house away from the man. It finally got straightened out (after several years and even after the man passed away, his daughter was still fighting).

[Catty1]

In the olden days of PCH, it was a question of how they got your address in the first place if you'd never entered before. Mailing lists.

[pomtzu]

Publisher's Clearing House used to do this - you didn't need to enter anything to be "chosen".

The big tip-off is being asked to pay to get your prize.

The article also states that older people fall for this, and will not listen to the other members of their family that tell them it's a con job. Sad.

Oh please! People of ALL ages fall for these scams, simply because they are either greedy or desperate. I get tired of reading about how the elderly are victimized. What about all the others that you never hear about?? Just because I am a senior, doesn't mean that I have suddenly lost my mind or my ability to recognize when someone is trying to scam me. Give the "elderly" a break please. We old timers could teach you younger ones a thing or two.

[Catty1]

Sorry, Pom! There are many that fall for this con - the article was saying that the older people that fall for it often have family that try to stop them but they don't believe it. I suppose the inference is that people in a lower age bracket are more computer savvy (generally speaking) and either avoid the scams or are more tuned in to warnings about them.

People of any age can be gullible.

[pomtzu]

Sorry, Pom! There are many that fall for this con - the article was saying that the older people that fall for it often have family that try to stop them but they don't believe it. I suppose the inference is that people in a lower age bracket are more computer savvy (generally speaking) and either avoid the scams or are more tuned in to warnings about them.

People of any age can be gullible.

No problem. I just got up on the wrong side of the bed today, and other issues keep piling up too. Besides that - I refuse to consider myself "elderly" until/if I make it to my 80th birthday! Until then, I am just a senior citizen!