New Lottery Scam Fraudulently Claims to Be From Better Business Bureau
Austin, TX - February 3, 2010 - Better Business Bureau serving Central, Coastal and Southwest Texas warns that a new scam is fraudulently using the organization’s name in order to steal tens of thousands of dollars from victims who are led to believe they have won a lottery. So far, one victim has lost $80,000 to scammers posing as BBB employees.
Several consumers have reported to BBB that they were contacted over the phone or via e-mail by someone claiming to represent Better Business Bureau. Consumers were told they had won a lottery and that, in order to receive the prize, they must first wire money back to the scammers. In some cases, the scammers used the names of real BBB employees and directed victims to legitimate bios and profiles on BBB’s Web site.
“BBB receives several calls every week from consumers who believe they have won the lottery,” said Carrie A. Hurt, President and CEO of BBB serving Central, Coastal and Southwest Texas. “Unfortunately these scams leave many people losing their hard earned money rather than hitting the jackpot.”
Better Business Bureau reminds consumers that the organization does not run a lottery nor award prizes to consumers. Anyone who receives a call, letter or e-mail about winning the lottery should consult the following checklist in order to avoid falling victim to a lottery scam:
Make sure the story checks out. Confirm the facts directly with the organization the representative claims to be from. Use contact information from the organization’s Web site, not from phone numbers or Web links provided by the representative. Scammers often pretend to be from legitimate businesses or non-profits and a quick call directly to the organization can help set the record straight.
Never pay money to get money. Lottery scammers make their money by convincing victims that they have to pay money up front in order to receive their winnings. It is extremely difficult to track or retrieve money sent via wire transfer so scammers will often use this as their payment method of choice.
Don’t fall for the phony check. Sometimes the scammer will send a check by mail to the victim with instructions to deposit the check and wire back a portion of the funds to cover fees or taxes in order to receive the full prize. This gives the victim a false sense of security because the check will clear initially, but eventually will be discovered as a fake. The money is then taken out of the victim’s account and he or she loses the funds sent to the scammer.
Consumers who have been contacted by someone posing as a Better Business Bureau employee should call BBB and report the incident. For more information on avoiding check and lottery scams and to check the reliability of a company, visit www.bbb.org.
About BBB:
BBB's mission is to be the leader in advancing marketplace trust. BBB accomplishes this mission by creating a community of trustworthy businesses, setting standards for marketplace trust, encouraging and supporting best practices, celebrating marketplace role models and denouncing substandard marketplace behavior.
Businesses that earn BBB Accreditation contractually agree and adhere to the organization's high standards of ethical business behavior. BBB is the preeminent resource to turn to for objective, unbiased information on businesses and charities.
Contact BBB serving Central, Coastal and Southwest Texas at (512) 445-4748.
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