“Congratulations, you were selected as a winner in a random world wide web computerized draw system.” announces the latest email scam to hit B.C. inboxes this year.
Southside resident Birdie Madigan was greeted with this scam email recently.
According to the email, Madigan had reportedly won a total of £1 million in cash as part of an £18 million draw that is being shared among eighteen lucky overseas winners during 2011.
The email further states that it is a matter of urgency that Madigan contact the listed email address with bank account details, full name, country of residence including the physical and postal address, a contact telephone number, a fax number and an email address.
According to Consumer Fraud Reporting [www.consumerfraudreporting.org], if you have not purchased a ticket for the UK National Lottery, then you can not have won a prize and you should treat any email with absolute caution.
Consumer Fraud Reporting note that in the U.K. winners of the lottery are never notified by email.
Lottery scams such as this one are a major method of identity theft used by thieves to steal your personal data, including banking or credit card information.
Scammers often use these methods to trick unsuspecting people out of thousands of dollars, requesting that money be sent to cover various fees in order to receive any winnings.
The Better Business Bureau (BBB) warns of such scams.
“There is always a fee required to cover moving the cash across a border, or for shipment of such a large amount of money,” said the BBB on their website.
“If you ever have doubts about a call or email, don’t hesitate to contact BBB prior to giving any info away, or wiring any funds.” the BBB states.
The BBB advises people to limit the amount of information they put on networking and other internet sites, never give out banking information and keep your passwords, PIN numbers and Social Insurance Number confidential. Monitor your account statements frequently as well as store all documents containing personal information in a locked cabinet and shred before discarding.
According to the Competition Bureau, every year they receive an average of 20,000 requests and complaints.
These include complaints regarding mass marketing fraud, which is fraud by mail, telephone and email, including lottery scams such as the U.K. scam.
The bureau warns, ” Legitimate lotteries do not require a winner to pay any fees up front, such as taxes or a security deposit before receiving a prize.”
If you have not entered a lottery, then the odds are that you have not won a prize.
Be cautious about emails, letters and phone calls requesting money, or your private information.
If you are unsure, check with the BBB on www.bbb.org/canada or the Competition Bureau of Canada on 1-800-348-5358.
