How Scams Work
All these scams have a similar pattern, which involve attempting to convince you that you should send money to pay for “taxes”, “insurance” or “processing costs” before the “prize” or “money” is delivered to you. The fraud involves either stealing your identity or convincing you to voluntarily send money with the false expectation of receiving a large amount of money in return.
Fraudulent Lottery Scheme
You may receive a solicitation which is personalized and very “official” looking telling you that you have been approved to claim a large sum of money which is available for immediate deposit into your bank account. The “Notice” may include a secret claim number and inform you that this is part of a winners package from a foreign organization and you simply need to contact them and provide them with your identification and/or banking information to immediately claim your “prize”. They also attempt to have you wire them funds to cover the “processing fees,” “taxes” or “insurance” to safely deliver your “prize” or “money.” If you receive an unsolicited communication by mail or an unsolicited telephone call informing you that you have been “selected” to receive a “grand prize” from a “foreign lottery”, do not respond.
Foreign-Money Offers
People claming to be “officials”, “former government executives” or their “family members” may solicit you as a business partner to help them get their “money” out of their country. They claim that due to the state of current conflict in their region, as citizens of this foreign country, they are not allowed to remove money from their country. They may indicate that they have thousands of dollars, which they would like to wire into your bank account. If you agree, they may send “official” looking documents and ask that you cover the “fees” and “taxes” for the money transfer and that you will be able to share in the successful transfer of thousands of dollars. If someone contacts you claiming they need your help getting their “money” out of another country, do not respond.
Check Overpayment Scheme
If you are selling items online or through public advertising you may be contacted from a person from a distant part of a foreign country agreeing to purchase your property. The buyer immediately sends you a cashiers check or money order or perhaps personal or business check, which is in an amount substantially higher than the price agreed. You are asked to wire transfer the excess funds to a foreign country. The check or money order you receive looks very “official” and often will fool the bank teller. As soon as you wire the excess funds, the scammer vanishes and the check will bounce.
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