Just as you thought phishing and vishing are the current trend in Internet scam, this news might surprised you. Email lottery scams are on the rise, and you should be aware of it.
The email lottery scam begins with an email asking your attention that you have just won a lottery, and you need to contact a claims “agent” to collect your winning prize. When you contact the so-called agent by email, you are asked to identify yourself by submitting your personal information as well as copies of your passport and driving license. By doing so, the scammer will have enough information to steal your identity.
The scammer then sends you an email with three options on how you want to collect your prize:
- First, you may have the money wired to your bank account. If you choose this option, you will have to transfer upfront fees to the scammers in order to cover the taxes, insurance or even legal fees.
- Second, you may open a new account with the designated bank. If you choose this path, you will be forward to a bogus site setup by the scammer, and you will find out that an initial deposit of $3,000 is required to open an account.
- Third, you may personally pick up your winning prize. Usually the location of this scammer is somewhere in Europe. If you choose to go to this route, you will be asked to pay the “release fees” of the prize, and you’re likely to receive counterfeit money in return.
No matter which option you would choose, you’d always be falling into this scam. So, what’s the best way to deal with this email lottery scam? Simply delete this kind of email without replying. Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.