“Our Dear Winner, You have won the sum of PS710,000 (SEVEN HUNDRED AND TEN THOUSAND, POUNDS STERLING) from British Lotto in our 2008 new year charity bonanza. The winning ticket was selected from a Data Base of Internet Email Users, from which your Address came out as the winning coupon.”
“We hereby urge you to claim the winning amount quickly as this is a monthly lottery. Failure to claim your win will result into the reversion of the fund to our following month.”
This is an example of frauds in the lottery industry, examples such as these are getting all too common. More than 70000 victims are reported however there are likely to be thousands more who are embarrassed to report. The perpetrators of fraud profit from the lust for money that exists within us all to trick victims into giving up their personal details , and later they charge a fee that is usually described as an administration of a postal cost. A couple of elderly people was compelled by bank officials and the police to not give PS20 000 to a fraudster recently. A third gentleman actually paid the PS10 000. Live Draw SGP
The Office of Fair Trading in Britain discovered 15 call centers located in Canada that were operating an extortion scheme throughout all of the United Kingdom that had already brought in PS1.6 million. According to the Canadian authorities are currently trying to stop such activities. Due to the wide availability of technology-based communications, there is no barrier to fraudulent lotteries, and many originate directly from Canada as well as Nigeria.
The majority of hoaxes originate from people who’s primary language isn’t English therefore, grammatical errors often appear in written words and are apparent in phone calls. A few are in the example at the beginning the article. Look for these and you’ll be sure that a scam is most likely.
There are additional things to keep in mind to be aware of to prevent bogus claims:
- To be a winner in a lottery, you must participate in the lottery. In order to participate in a lottery, you’ll have purchased tickets or at the very minimum joined an organization. You’ll know that you’re playing a lottery and have paid to participate in it.
- The winners are not received by lottery organizations. Participants who participate in the UK lottery who believe they won should bring their tickets to the retailer to make their claim. If you’re a part of an association, the syndicate organizer will call you. However, there are numerous places where the results are published and you’d already be aware.
- There is no fee to be paid prior to the time that cash prize is paid.
- Simply holding the ticket is enough. It is not necessary to show identification.
- Find out who sent the email, call or letter. Don’t use the information they provide. It is the British National Lottery has an excellent website that can be used as a use as a reference.
Another great website is owned by The Metropolitan Police in London but there are other websites that offer excellent advice regarding how to deal with these fake letters. The best option is to replace the phone, erase the email or throw away the letter. It is possible to inform the police in your area if you’d like, but definitely don’t contact the person who made the hoax.
Keith Braithwaite has had twenty years of experience and is a keen observer of direct selling. He is an approved Elottery affiliate. Other interests include personal growth and drawing, painting cycling, walking, and the outdoors in general.