How to Prevent Yourself from Lottery scams?
In today’s cyber tip, we will explain how to prevent yourself from Lottery scams.
“Congratulations, you have been chosen to receive a 50,000 prize! The only thing you have to do is provide a little amount to cover shipping and processing, and we’ll take care of the rest!”
This may seem too wonderful to be true – and it almost certainly is. Scammers frequently utilise fake award announcements to dupe enthusiastic victims into parting with their hard-earned money and excitedly awaiting the arrival of prize money that never comes true.
You may safeguard yourself by being familiar with the warning signs associated with sweepstakes and lottery scams.
Lottery Scam Warning Signs Are As Follows
Numerous fraudsters employ well-known techniques to convince their victims to hand up money or personal information. These tactics include requesting “tax money” before delivering the reward or pressuring their victims to respond fast so they do not have time to realize they have been scammed. Below are the most common signs:
You must pay to receive your reward: However, genuine rewards are free. Therefore, if someone requires payment of “taxes,” “shipping and handling costs,” or “processing fees” in order to get your reward, you are dealing with a fraudster. And if they ask you to pay for your reward by wire transfer, cash, gift cards, or cryptocurrencies, do not comply. Scammers utilize these payments because they are difficult to trace. And reclaiming your money is nearly impossible.
They claim that paying increases one’s chances of winning: However, genuine sweepstakes are free and winners are determined by chance. It is against the law for someone to request payment in order to boost your chances of winning. Only a fraudster would do such a thing.
You must provide financial details: There is never a necessity to provide your bank account or credit card information in order to win a prize or competition. If they request this information, refuse to provide it. This is a fraud.
How to prevent yourself from Lottery scam?
You have to provide financial details. There is never a necessity to provide your bank account or credit card information in order to win a prize or competition. If they request this information, refuse to provide it. This is a fraud.
Sweepstakes are entirely gratuitous games of chance. Never send money in advance to enter a sweepstakes: It is against the law to require payment or purchase in order to enter a sweepstakes or to boost your chances of winning.
Make no payment to get your reward. This includes demands for payment of any taxes, shipping and handling, insurance, and processing costs. This is how you prevent yourself from Lottery scams.
Never disclose your bank account number or any other identifying information. Because there is no fee associated with entering a contest or winning a reward, there is no reason to provide this sensitive information.
Do not be afraid to hang up if you feel pressed, if the caller does not respond to your queries, or if you get a “bad feeling” about the caller.
In Simple Words
If you believe you are a victim of a lottery or sweepstakes fraud, follow these three simple rules to prevent yourself from lottery scams:
- REFUSE TO RESPOND!
- SEND NO MONEY!
- Do Not Reveal ANY PERSONAL INFORMATION!
How to Proceed If You Have Already Paid a Scammer?
Scammers frequently request payment in ways that make reclaiming your money difficult. But still if you have pay to scammer, do the following:
Did you use a credit card or a debit card to make your purchase?
Contact the credit card or debit card company or bank that issued the card. Inform them that the charge was bogus. Solicit a reversal of the transaction and the return of your funds.
If you have victim of a fraudulent withdrawal from your bank account?
Inform your bank that an unlawful debit or withdrawal occurred. Solicit a reversal of the transaction and the return of your funds.
Did you use the gift card to for purchase?
Make contact with the retailer that issued the gift card. Inform them that it was used in a fraud and want a refund. Keep both the gift card and the receipt for the gift card.
The following are the most frequent activities you can perform after paying a fraudster. As cyber crime is on the rise, please be alert about every form of cyber frauds such as online shopping scams, WhatsApp message scam, and more.
