You Just Won the Lottery! No Wait, It’s a Scam

There it is. It is the email that said you have won a large sum of money. To collect all you need to do is respond to this email and follow their instructions. Is this too good to be true, because it sounds like it? Before you go any further know that you are facing one of the oldest and most used scams in the books. Even though there are old scams you still need to watch out for them because some of the oldest methods are the ones that people forget about. The following information is geared to help you with scams like the internet lottery scam and other email troubles. The key is for you to always pay attention in your life.

The Start

All you will get is an email saying that you have won some sort of drawing or lottery. You will be provided with a number to call to get some of your winnings. You call the number and they will tell you that you need to fill out some sort of form in order to collect. You will receive the form which they will expect you to fill out. They will also want you to send a check of your own because you will need to do some tax information, which they will conveniently handle for you. Then you just have to sit back and wait for you money to come.

The Scam

Well, your winnings will never arrive. The check you receive, if you do, will bounce. You will also notice that your account is tampered with because you have provided them with your account number thanks to the check that you sent. This means overdrawn penalties. This can all lead to your identity being stolen because you have given them your account number and all your personal information on that form you filled out. As you can see, this is something that really can become big trouble for those involved with it.

They Only Need One

This is the thing that you need to remember about this identity theft scam. They just need one person to fall for their tricks and they are going to cash in. This is why you do not ever see or hear these people put up a fight. They do not want to be exposed, and they do not need everybody to fall for them. You need to make sure that you are not that one person, because then the trouble can start. Make sure that you can spot these emails and really boot them out of your life as quickly as possible. You can stand up and show these people who is the real boss.

Additional Resources:

• Beware Social Security Email Scam
• ‘Nigerian Scams’ Keeps Evolving