Scam Alerts

SWEEPSTAKES - Legitimate sweepstakes are fun and free. They specify that no purchase is needed to win and buying a product will not increase your chances of winning--you never have to pay to collect a prize. Remember: You do not have to pay to enter a sweepstakes or collect a prize. If you're asked to pay, the sweepstakes is a scam.

Are you being scammed? Ask yourself these questions:

	Does the promoter ask for your credit card number, checking account number, bank account information, or other personal account information? A legitimate prize company won't ask for this to declare you a winner. It’s probably a scam!
	Do they ask you to wire money or make a payment in an urgent manner? Do you feel pressure to make a payment within a given time deadline to collect your prize? Take a step back and evaluate the offer. Contact Nevada Consumer Affairs to verify that you're dealing with a legitimate sweepstakes offer.
	Does the advertising copy clearly state that no purchase is necessary to win and a purchase will not increase your chances of winning? You never have to pay to play or to collect your prize when the sweepstakes is legitimate.

Source: http://postalinspectors.uspis.gov/radDocs/consumer/sweepstk.htm

LOTTERIES – “Congratulations! You may receive a certified check for up to $400,000,000 U.S. CASH! One Lump sum! Tax free! Your odds to WIN are 1-6.” “Hundreds of U.S. citizens win every week using our secret system! You can win as much as you want!” Sound great? It’s a fraud.

Scam operators — often based in Canada — are using the telephone and direct mail to entice U.S. consumers to buy chances in high-stakes foreign lotteries from as far away as Australia and Europe. These lottery solicitations violate U.S. law, which prohibits the cross-border sale or purchase of lottery tickets by phone or mail.

	If you play a foreign lottery — through the mail or over the telephone — you’re violating federal law.
	If you purchase one foreign lottery ticket, expect many more bogus offers for lottery or investment “opportunities.” Your name will be placed on “sucker lists” that fraudulent telemarketers buy and sell.
	Keep your credit card and bank account numbers to yourself. Scam artists often ask for them during an unsolicited sales pitch.
	Do not send any money or personal details to anyone who says that you have won a prize or anything else in a lottery or sweepstake that you have not previously entered. Such claims are almost certainly frauds. Always check fully any person or organization before sending anything to them.
	Some fraudsters set out to steal identities. Stop and think before you ever release personal information such as passport number, home address, telephone number, banking details, etc, to unknown organizations.
	Ignore all solicitations for foreign lottery promotions. If you receive lottery material from a foreign country, contact Nevada Consumer Affairs.

Sources: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/alerts/intlalrt.shtm and http://www.lotteryinsider.com/scams/