Scam Spam - Won the Lottery? Don't Believe it!

We've all been brought up hearing the saying that if "something sounds too good to be true then it probably is". Even so many people are still falling for the very same scams which sound amazing but actually end up costing you a small fortune.

Lottery scams have been around for a long time but even now people are still becoming victims of these scams. It's very important to make sure that you never respond to any of these emails because then you will just be asking for trouble.

Threat of Lottery Scams

Lottery scams may sound very attractive but if you reply to these or show any interest then they will end up costing you thousands of dollars. These scams are all very successful because they are organized by very experienced crime rings that operate with a very high level of professionalism. They use emails and phone calls to make themselves look professional.

While these emails may promise you the chance to win money or even suggest that you have won a lottery that you have never even entered, there is no chance of even receiving any payment. The people that run these scams are only interested in getting their greasy hands on your identity and on your money.

The Basics of the Scam

You will first become a victim of this scam when you receive an email telling you that you have won a large prize in a lottery. This is normally a foreign lottery that you haven't entered and haven't even heard about.

If you reply showing an interest then you will be requested to send some form of fee up front and also give them your details so that they can give you the funds. They tell you that you must pay an administration fee or some form of tax to get the money. These criminals are very creative but the fees are only a way for them to profit from you.

It's not really that difficult to avoid the scam if you actually listen to your common sense. If you never entered a lottery then there is no way that you can possibly win. No legitimate lottery will ever ask you for any money up front.  Think about it; why can't these fees be taken off your winnings?

Spotting a Lottery Scam

Spotting any lottery scams shouldn't really be that difficult. If you ever receive an email telling you that you've won the lottery even though you never actually entered it then you can be pretty sure that it's a scam.

There are also other signs that you might want to look out for. These include the use of free or obscure email addresses and PO box addresses rather than a physical address. Sometimes they might even tell you that the details are secret and that you shouldn't talk about these with other people.

Many people that suffer from this scam are too ashamed to tell anyone else about their experiences. This means that we don't know about the real number of cases.

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