Important Data About Scams and Prevention

By Odesi Desko

There have been few scams that have yielded as much money as the Lottery scam. In the past, scammers used snail mail to contact their victims; now email directories and spyware are the new ways to get marks for their schemes. The victim will typically receive notification that they've won a sweepstakes that will yield a great amount of money.

There are a lot of professional criminals who have their method down. They might even have global networks of criminals who have several workers who spend entire days emailing or snail mailing potential marks with this offer. Thousands of forms are sent out on a daily basis.

These groups also have cell phones with the name of the victim being scammed and the name of the supposed correspondent. This way, when talking to the victim, the scammer knows which names to use and what lies to tell. This makes it seem as if they are truly authentic and that's why it's important to use telephone services such as info-trace.com/area-code-419.jsp to ensure that he or she are who they claim to be.

With the Internet in practically every home and people using e-mails, Facebook, and other means of communication, it is very easy for someone to make contact through a person's personal e-mail or home address. It is also possible for them to put a type of spy virus on a computer in order to access passwords as well as financial information. A wise decision is not to open an e-mail if the sender is unfamiliar.

If the initial lottery scam letter or e-mail prompts a victim to respond, there will be a subsequent letter sent to the victim. This follow-up letter will explain that in order to claim their winnings, the victim must first pay specific fees. Unfortunately, there will be innocent victims who will respond by sending the requested fees, and then, they will not hear from these scam artists again; unless the criminals feel that they can convince the victim to give them even more money.

There are also lottery scams that are just openings to acquire information for identity theft. They'll say that, in order to get the money, you have to verify some information. Identity theft can occur once that have this data on you. If a victim has this happen to them, they don't get the matter resolved for months, and by then they have no money left in their accounts.

You have to be careful any time you have this type of situation on your hands. For the most part, you can count on whoever is promising you lottery money to not be on the level.

If you should happen to receive an e-mail or letter claiming that you have won a lottery, there are a few things that you need to consider. First, in order to win a lottery, you must have bought a ticket. Secondly, it is common for lottery tickets to be sold to citizens of the respective countries only. Finally, lottery winners receive their notification through UPS or Fed Ex only, never letter or e-mail. Although we would all like to become extraordinarily wealthy overnight, you must not let this desire, outweigh your good judgment. - 31381

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