An email or letter from an overseas lottery or sweepstakes company arrives from out of nowhere. It will advise you that you have won a lot of money or fantastic prizes—in a lottery or sweepstakes competition you did not enter.
Lottery scams will often use the names of legitimate overseas lotteries (often Spanish lotteries), so that even if you do some superficial research, the scam will seem real. Some examples of the real Spanish lotteries that the scammers falsely use are Loteria Primitiva and El Gordo. It is IMPOSSIBLE for you to win these lotteries if you have not bought a ticket from an authorised distributor in Spain.
Some other names that scammers will often use are the International Lotto Commission and the Princess Diana Lottery, among others.
The email or letter you receive about your winnings will ask you to respond quickly or risk missing out. The scammers do this to try and stop you thinking about the surprise too much in case you start to suspect it could be a scam.
You could also be urged to keep your winnings private or confidential, to ‘maintain security’ or stop other people from getting your ‘prize’ by mistake. Scammers do this to prevent you from seeking further information or advice from independent sources.
You will usually be asked to pay some fees to release your winnings. Scammers will often say these fees are for insurance costs, government taxes, bank fees or courier charges. The scammers make money by continually collecting these ‘fees’ from you and stalling the payment of your 'winnings’. You will lose all of the money you pay to the scammers.
You may also be asked to provide personal details to ‘prove’ that you are the correct winner and to give your bank account details so the ‘prize’ can be sent to you. The scammer will use these details to try to misuse your identity and steal any money you have in your bank account.
Sometimes the scammers actually do send a cheque for part of your ‘winnings’ (a few thousand dollars perhaps). This cheque will eventually bounce (be dishonoured) but you may have sent money to the scammers in the meantime.
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