How Those Scams Work And How To Avoid It

By Odessa Dessi

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.

These groups also have cell phones with the name of the victim being scammed and the name of the supposed correspondent. This way, when talking to the victim, the scammer knows which names to use and what lies to tell. This makes it seem as if they are truly authentic and that's why it's important to use telephone services such as 411infoseek.com/646/453/ to ensure that he or she are who they claim to be.

With the Internet in practically every home and people using e-mails, Facebook, and other means of communication, it is very easy for someone to make contact through a person's personal e-mail or home address. It is also possible for them to put a type of spy virus on a computer in order to access passwords as well as financial information. A wise decision is not to open an e-mail if the sender is unfamiliar.

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.

Sometimes, it is an individual's personal information that the scammer is interested in obtaining through the lottery scam. In this case, the letter or e-mail will tell their target that in order to claim their winnings, they must first provide specific information. It is through the gathering of this personal information, that these criminals can move forward in stealing an individual's identity. It is possible to have your bank account completely drained by these perpetrators, or, at the very least, there will be months of red tape involved in correcting the problem.

When confronting a situation such as this it is always important to use caution. If this is done it will be evident that the person claiming to be in charge of the lottery funds is not legitimate.

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. - 29941

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