There is an ever-growing number of lottery scams circulating on the internet.
You do need to be vigilant. These lottery scams are cleverly and convincingly written, being deceptive and completely fraudulent. Thousands of people have lost money paying commissions and charges to receive cash prizes they’ve been told they’ve won.
Read the message carefully. Most lottery scams have the same basic message:
You have won a prize in a Lottery and must now send money to claim your winnings.
Here are some common identifying characteristics of a scam:
The email addresses provided are free hotmail or yahoo accounts, as these are easy to set up and difficult to trace. An official notice from a legitimate company would NOT make use of a free yahoo, hotmail or any other free email account.
They claim you were selected through a computer ballot system where your name and email address were attached to a winning Lottery ticket.
They usually mention a claim agent, processing fees, insurance or bank fees.
You’re requested to keep your winnings confidential until your claim has been processed and your money remitted to your account.
You’re warned that any breach of confidentiality on your part will result in disqualification.
You’re told that the funds will be sent to you by a courier or security service and that you have to pay the courier service for delivery and/or storage.
You need to bear in mind that you can’t possibly have won a prize in a lottery that you never ever entered in the first place 
Never send money to claim a prize in a Lottery you haven’t entered.
You will never be asked by any legitimate concern to send money in the form of processing fees or taxes to claim your prize.
Even if the scam does not ask for money right away, the perpetrators may use your contact and private information for future scams, so…
- PLEASE NEVER EVER GIVE YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION TO THESE PEOPLE!
