Lottery Check Scam

Published on October 4, 2007 By foreverserenity In Current Events

I'm not sure if you guys have heard about the latest scam methods out there. This one has been all over the news recently and now the United States Postal Service has gotten involved because those checks was sent through the mail from Canada and England.

How the scam works is that you get a mail that says that you won a lottery in Canada, or England. The trick is for you to collect, you have to pay the lottery you receive the winnings from a fee to process. They instruct the receive to deposit the check, and send the money out of the check to them. The check looks very authentic, but it isn't real. The bank will clear it because it does clear in the beginning. Unfortunately, after a few days, the bank realises that it is not real and you're responsible for the money you received!

It is unbelievable how many people have gotten caught by this! How can you pay to win money, shouldn't that be a simple question these people ask themselves?

The postal service now has information on their website warning people about this scam. Link

The next scam is people who are sending bogus checks when purchasing items from Ebay and Amazon and even when buying or renting real estate.

One woman who was featured in the news story was duped out of $21,000 dollars for a property she was trying to sell! She thought it was legitimate when she got a response from someone from England regarding property she was renting.

The check amount was for $25,000, she was supposed to send back the difference to the person because he was unable to get the money transferred or had some problems with the currency. She deposited it, it cleared, the money was there in her account. She talked to the person. Then she sent the difference back. Only to be notified by the bank a few days later that she has to replace that money because the check was fraudulent!

She was sharing her story because she didn't want it to happen to someone else. I can't believe the bank doesn't take some type of responsibility though, not for all of it, but for some sure, for cashing the check? Shouldn't they be able to tell if the check is real or not?

At any rate, be careful the next time you receive a check in the mail or get a letter saying that you have won the lottery in Canada!

Here's a link to another type of scam!

Link

Comments

MasonM

on Oct 04, 2007

People are morons. It's really quite simple. If you won some money it doesn't cost you money to collect it. If they ask for money ya toss it in the trash.

foreverserenity

on Oct 05, 2007

It's really quite simple. If you won some money it doesn't cost you money to collect it. If they ask for money ya toss it in the trash.

Exactly! I guess some people just get so excited at seeing so many zeros!

foreverserenity

on Oct 05, 2007

Oh and fakecheck.org is the website created by the USPS too.

Gideon MacLeish

on Oct 05, 2007

What bugs me about that is this:

I received my student loan disbursement a couple of weeks ago. I had to wait almost a week for my funds. Why? Precisely because of scams like these. Because of these scams, the check had to completely clear before I could access the money.

Sucks.

Dr Guy

on Oct 05, 2007

A friend of mine's daughter got got. Fortunately only for about $750. But people are too trusting and naive. (She got hit on Ebay). I had to tell her father - sorry - she is out the stuff and the money.

foreverserenity

on Oct 05, 2007

They said they were aware of the scam but didn't seem very concerned about it to me.

That is the part that gets me, they don't seem to be very concerned. And yes, you're right, they will be looking to the victim for paymetnt!

I had to wait almost a week for my funds. Why? Precisely because of scams like these. Because of these scams, the check had to completely clear before I could access the money.

They should do the same for these checks as well! If they don't, I wonder why not?

But people are too trusting and naive.

That's it right there in a nutshell!

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