Phony Lottery Websites, Lottery Winning Systems and Scam Lottery
Promotions
Phony Lottery Websites, "Lottery Winning Systems" and Scam Lottery
Promotions
We discussed on this page the fake
lottery winning notification scam, but another form of lottery scam occurs when
you buy a foreign lottery ticket or buy a book or website's system of "how to
win lotteries". The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the United State's consumer
protection agency, says almost all promotions for foreign lotteries are very
likely to be phony.
How are they phony?
- Many scam operators don't even buy the promised lottery tickets.
- Others buy some tickets, but keep the "winnings" for themselves.
- In addition, lottery hustlers use victims' bank account numbers to make
unauthorized withdrawals or their credit card numbers to run up additional
charges.
What's the harming in playing?
The FTC has these words of caution for consumers who are thinking about
responding to a foreign lottery:
- If you play a foreign lottery - through the mail or over the telephone -
you're violating federal law. It is illegal for U.S. citizens to participate
in foreign lotteries.
- There are no secret systems for winning
lotteries. Your chances of winning more than the cost of your tickets are
slim to none.
- If you purchase one foreign lottery ticket, expect many more bogus
offers for lotteries, fake lottery "winning systems" or scam investment
"opportunities." Your name will be placed on "sucker lists" that fraudulent
telemarketers and scammers buy and sell.
- Keep your credit card, checking and bank account numbers to yourself.
Scam artists often ask for them during an unsolicited sales pitch.
The bottom line, according to the FTC: Ignore all mail and phone
solicitations for foreign lottery promotions. If you receive what looks like
lottery material in the mail from a foreign country, give it to your local
postmaster for investigation.