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AJC.com > Metro > View from the cop > Archives > 2006 > November > 01 > Entry
Scams are alive and well
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Anyone can research scams on the Web. Below are a couple of examples of scams involving lottery and work-at-home scams. (I won the Spanish Lotto twice)
A recent and repeat scam is the Canadian Lottery scam. People are contacted and told they have won a large sum of money, but in order to collect it they must first send money to cover the fees and expenses. In one recent case, the requested “fees and expenses” were $10,000. Once the initial money is sent, the victim will be contacted and additional “fees and expenses” will be requested. The scam artist basically tries to get more and more out of the victim.
This was an e-mail from a man who received an e-mail that informed him he finished second in the British Lottery. I was sent a check along with a letter saying I won this lottery. I was supposed to send the check back to them to cover the cost of releasing a larger winning. I instead deposited the check into my bank account. They held it for 10 days then released the money to me. I withdrew some to pay some bills and thought my luck was changing. We were about to have our electric shut off, so this was a prayer come true, or so we thought.
When I got a phone call from my bank saying the check was fraudulent and the account had been closed, I broke into tears. Now, I’m about $1500 in the hole with my bank. This is not a good situation for us. We already live paycheck to paycheck and still not able to make ends meet.
Please, if you get one of these in the mail, THROW IT OUT! Don’t answer emails about them either. I’ve gotten those and there’s no reason why a lottery would need to know how much you make a year, your marital status, or bank information. Please don’t fall victim and get into trouble. There’s no way anyone should have to pay to have money released to them from a lottery winning. Just throw everything away and be done with it!!
This is an e-mail from someone who wanted to get into the work-at-home business. E-income Solutions promises daily lessons, constant support, and a mentor program. They will e-mail you a printable contract that you must sign and send back, ask you for a $49 “processing” fee to open you a merchant account. If you read the contract carefully, it says NO CANCELLATIONS OR REFUNDS. They will send you a credit card machine, you will end up paying $58/mo PLUS merchant account fees, and you will never hear from them again. You are locked into the contract for four years.
If you ask them, they will tell you that you can transfer your machine if at any time you desire to get out of the business. If you do this, they will put you on a “transfer list”, on which you will sit until the contract expires. If you do not notify them and return the machine, at the end of the contract, you’re then forced to purchase the machine. All-in-all, this will end up costing you about $4,000.
Pointless Point
Did you know that we could lower our crime rate and average of 7%-10% each year if drunk guys would quit hitting other drunk guys on the head with beer bottles? It’s true. That beer bottle can do some serious damage breaking off one’s head. It seems like every Monday I read half a dozen reports where someone got hit in the head with a beer bottle, cutting the guy’s head up and handing over another Aggravated Assault stat on us. Let’s be careful when irresponsibly drinking!
Comments
Commenting is now closed for this entry.
By TRFindley
November 2, 2006 7:10 AM | Link to this
I think that all alcoholic drinks should be sold in plastic bottles.
On an unrelated subject, I think that all new cars should have a transmitter that jams cell and Blackberry signals while the engine is running.
By Political Foreskin
November 2, 2006 7:52 AM | Link to this
I cant enjoy the simple pleasure of sitting in a neighborhood bar and having a beer anymore because of the redstate dittoheadwounds who infect the atmosphere. They wear their politics in the spilled beer on their shirts. Their tatoos are bumber stickers as obnoxious as a soccor mom’s magnetic ball. The cap looks so cool, too. Just how far into the future are we going to have to see these caps outside of baseball parks? Did the Klingons wear caps? NO! Did the Ferengis wear caps? NO! and neither did Kirk or Khan.
Lose the caps, people. Begging here.
By charles
November 2, 2006 8:46 AM | Link to this
I don’t understand how people fall prey to these scams. hell, i’ve won the nigerian lottery 5 times, man am i one lucky guy.haha charles, thanks steve
By Stephen
November 3, 2006 5:37 PM | Link to this
Pretty much any e-mail arriving and telling you that you are the big winner is fake and is intended to make you part with the money.
A simple way is to Google the lottery name and you will find tons of blogs and discussions concerning these scams.
Among other scams are…
Egypt Airlines Crash… The sob story is that the owner of the said account was killed in the crash with his family and the gentleman will be happy to “give” you part of the take…
Swiss Air Lines Crash … Ditto
Another clue to these scams… The originating E-Mail and Reply Addresses are to Hotmail or Google E-Mail Europe Accounts.
Do not even bother replying. Save your time and consider playing the real deal, the Georgia Lottery. A buck a ticket, and if you win you will know it… Let the Nigerians scammers find someone else…
By Anne Blair
November 4, 2006 9:08 AM | Link to this
Don’t forget all the official looking bank e-mails advising that if you don’t respond within certain time, your account will be closed. Real banks don’t ask for info on the internet because they already know your social security, birth date, etc. The most recent scam I got was supposedly from Wachovia where I do have an account; others from banks I have never had an account with.