Lotto scam hits Henderson Co.

Like most people, Pct. 4 JP Sue Tarrant knows if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is. So a few weeks ago when her husband Bobby received a letter from Lotto Net Sweepstakes of Moose Jaw, Saskatchawan, Canada, proclaiming his name had been drawn she immediately became suspicious and examined the document closely.

“It looked legit,” she said. “I asked Bobby if he had picked any numbers, and he said no. We hadn’t entered anything so how could we win anything?”

Tarrant then showed the letter to a Henderson County Sheriff ’s deputy who confirmed the letter was indeed a scam.

The letter said Tarrant had been awarded a lump sum payout of $182,610 in United States Dollars from a total pool of $6,487,800 USD.

“We have secured the required amount you need to pay for all the tax and service charges regarding your win- nings. A lump sum payment of $182,610.00 USD will be remitted to your designated account or a certified check will be hand delivered to your home as soon as the payments are completed. We have enclosed a check for the amount of $2,975.00 USD which is required to be paid. This check is from one of our financial sponsors and is intended to help pay your taxes,” the letter said.

Although the letter was addressed from Canada, the check was from the HFS Federal Credit Union in Hilo, Hawaii.

“This is a legit banking institution that has been victimized by people phishing for identity theft information,” said HCSO Lt. Pat McWilliams. “When you cash the check it goes through the banking system and gives the scammer the identity of your bank account and personal information. Then they can clear out your bank ac- count.”

Phishing (pronounced fishing) is a criminal activity using social engineering techniques. Phishers attempt to fraudulently acquire sensitive information such as passwords and credit card details, by masquerading as a trustworthy person or business, or in this case, a sweepstakes.

Both Tarrant and McWilliams want to send a warning out to people who may receive similar letters.

“Lotto Net Sweepstakes is one of several like names used throughout the world in scams and frauds,” McWilliams said. “Lottos don’t pay off by contacting you. You have to play to win.”

Tarrant is concerned over those victims who are targeted.

“They take advantage of our elderly and that’s what makes me mad,” she said. “There was an elderly woman a few years ago who lost all her savings to something like this.”

Numerous attempts were made by The Statesman to contact the number provided to process the prize however, there was only a message stating no one is available at this time.

In a lottery scam victims are notified mainly by email, but also by conventional mail or fax, that they have won a prize in a foreign lottery or sweepstakes. Email lottery scams can often be identified simply by the fact that the response email address is an obvious free email account (yahoo.com., netscape.net, hotmail.com, etc.)

If you receive a “prize notification ” from a suspicious lottery don’t respond to the emails, don’t pay any money in advance to collect a prize, don’t reveal your full identity, and don’t reveal your bank account number or credit card details

Almost all recent cases brought to the attention of Scamdex, a lottery scam resource, have involved the advanced fee formula also favored by thousands of “Nigerian scan” schemes. Victims typically are notified they have won, yet have to transfer fees or provide proof of their identity and/or details of their bank accounts in order to access the “winnings.” The names of the organizations running these operations change all the time, although many of the notifications use similar wording.

The World Lottery Association stresses the dangers of responding to this type of correspondence. Even if no money is transferred to these organizations, simply providing an ID or bank account details to an unknown party makes consumers vulnerable to identity theft and fraudulent use of their bank accounts.

Legitimate sweepstakes don’t require prior payment or purchase to enter or improve the chances of winning. Nor do they require the payment of “taxes” or “shipping and handling charges” in advance

to receive a prize. Sponsors of legitimate contests identify themselves prominently, while fraudulent promoters are more likely to downplay their identities. Legitimate promoters also provide an address or toll-free numbers where consumers can request their names be removed form their mail or calling list.

Like the saying goes...If it’s too good to be true, then it probably is.

“We just don’t want anyone to fall victim to these kinds of scams,” McWilliams said.