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| Online Lottery - Gambling - Sweepstakes - Secert Shoppers Just about every junk email says you have WON something. SPAM or just another way to get you to sign your life AWAY. These emails are so appealling to the elderly. Can you truly WIN? |
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#1
11-18-05, 07:27 AM
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Check Received By Oceano Woman Proves To Be Scam By Karin Driesen/Staff Writer The $3,850 check that came in the mail looked legitimate. At least, that's at Angie Miranda's bank and the local police told her. But Miranda decided to investigate further before cashing the mystery money, which had come from an organization called Fat Payment & Securities Inc. in Ontario, Canada. What she found out was what she had feared: The bogus check would have bounced had she tried to cash it. Miranda, an Oceano resident, was lucky. Unlike many victims of scams, she took the time to listen to her instincts and refused to be seduced by the promises of a stranger. I think people should know about it because, my gosh, I showed it to the bank and they thought it was fine,†she said. Now, they've sent a copy to the other branches to give them a heads-up. Miranda's experience started several weeks ago when she received a letter in the mail notifying her of unclaimed lottery winnings. She threw that letter away and thought nothing more of it. On Oct. 29, she received a second letter and the check, dated Oct. 21. The check was printed with the name of Bossier Federal Credit Union and the credit union's address in Louisiana. The letter stated the $3,850 was a portion of her final payout of $250,780. It also indicated that she would receive a final payment of $194,780 after she had paid a processing fee to a sweepstakes agent - implying the fee would have been about $56,000. The $3,850 issued to Miranda was intended to expedite her payment of those fees, the letter stated. The letter included a phone number that Miranda should call immediately to arrange payments. But when she called, there was simply a message stating the number was currently unavailable and to please try again later. I thought, if these people wanted to get ahold of me so bad, they would have answered, Miranda said. It just gave me an uneasy feeling. That feeling, along with the use of critical thinking, was what saved her from a potential disaster. Although Miranda wasn't familiar with the lottery check scheme, experts say it is quite prevalent. That's one of the most common scams that there is, said Rick Copelan, president of the Better Business Bureau's Tri-Counties chapter in Santa Barbara. They all originate from overseas, usually in Canada, and that's because it's difficult to prosecute over borders. We've had stories of people, usually elderly, who have lost a lot of money, he added. Copelan lists the foreign lottery scenario as one of the top three scams around. Another big one is the e-mail from someone claiming to be a Nigerian dignitary who needs help in transferring money and asks for the recipient's bank account information in order to do so. The third is the work-from-home, get-rich-quick scheme that promises huge profits to someone who is willing to stuff envelopes or perform other tasks. But guess what: You have to shell out a lot of money to get your supplies, warned Copelan. Stuffing envelopes for money is still one of the biggest scams. Darn it, you're just not going to make a lot of money just by sitting at home. If that were true, we'd all be doing it. For people who encounter a lottery-related offer, Copelan suggests they be aware of two things: First, foreign lotteries are illegal; and second, never provide any money or banking information up front. And for anyone who wants to check out tips for avoiding such scams, the Better Business Bureau offers a variety of information to help prevent more people from becoming victims of fraud. Locally, the Tri-Counties chapter provides reports on 20,000 of the 50,000 businesses licensed in San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. Those are available on the BBB's Web site, as are complaint forms to report any suspicious or illegal activities. Karin Driesen can be reached at 489-4206, Ext. 5015, or kdriesen@santamariatimes.com. November 11, 2005 http://www.santamariatimes.com/artic...cal/news03.prt Last edited by Scrub; 11-25-07 at 01:38 PM.      |
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#2
01-11-06, 11:39 PM
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Ya well I wish that I knew about this site because something like this happened to me now i don't know what to do, Stupid me |
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