Lottery, Prizes and Sweepstakes, Oh My!
What better month to talk about prize/sweepstakes/lottery scams than the month of March. Did you really draw the luck of the Irish? Did you win that fancy trip to Mexico you’ve been wanting?
If you ask yourself: “Did I enter to win a trip to Mexico?”, “Did I play the lottery numbers this week?” and the answer is no than you are most likely getting scammed. You pick up the phone and the first thing they say is “YOU’VE WON!” and they are so excited for you to collect your winnings.
(Does it sound too good to be true?) It probably is…
The voice on the phone says I am so glad to tell you that you’ve won, but first we need to collect some information from you. Since you won this vacation, you must pay taxes on it, or there’s a fee for them to collect, just give them your credit card number, your bank account information or send them a wire and you’ll be good to go… WRONG.
You will be out the funds you sent them, and you won’t be sitting on a beach either.
Remember that these phone calls may sound different from one another, but all have the same end goal, to get your personal information like your credit card number, your bank account information, and your funds.
Here are some tips on what to do if you get this phone call:
Keep your money and your personal information to yourself.
Share this information with your friends, to prevent them from falling victim.
Collect the phone number and name of the individual you are speaking to, and report this to the FTC (Federal Trade Commission).
a. Call the FTC at 1-877-382-4357 or
b. Go online to ftc.gov/complaint.
If you have given out any of your personal information, contact your financial institution right away so they can assist you in protecting your funds and identity.