I just won the lottery!!!

I just won the lottery!!! I won! I won! I won! I’m so excited; I just had to share. I can’t believe I could be so lucky. I mean, I didn’t even play the lottery, but I still won! How incredible is that? I just went to my mailbox and I had received an official notice. It told me I had won $1,000,000! I still can’t believe it. There was a check included for $2,876.54. All I need to do is cash the check and send $1,951.36 back to pay for some taxes processing fees. Ok, it seems a little weird I have to cash a check and send the money back to pay for processing. Couldn’t they just deduct that from my winnings? Oh, it doesn’t matter. This is $1,000,000 we’re talking about here.

Sound fishy? You bet. Is it a scam? Guaranteed 100% of the time this scenario is a scam. Now, while in this case I’m referring to the lottery scam, this can also apply to any of the other scams where you receive fraudulent checks in the mail. Nigerian 419 scam, Inheritance scam, Internet Auction scam, Work From Home scam, Mystery Shopper scam, Charitable Organization scam, and the Lonely Hearts scam. Yes, nothing is sacred. Most of these scams have the same ‘easy money’ theme to them and involve a fraudulent check being sent to the victim. And these checks aren’t limited in scope either. You may see them as cashier’s checks, money orders or certified/official checks… all fake.

I believe the majority of the people who read this blog are not the kind of people who would fall for this scam, but guess what? Many people out there do fall for this scam, and we see it all the time. My hope is that you’ll be able to share this information with family members, loved ones, friends, acquaintances and anyone else you happen to stumble past (share on Facebook).

So, why do so many people fall for these scams? Hope? Blind optimism? Those, yes, and sometimes even some with more devious intent. And why do the scammers keep doing these kinds of scams? It pays off well for them… because people keep falling for them. We have to stop this lapse in judgment. Of course, when you’re the person who’s staring at the authentic looking check and reading the convincing story, there’s a small part in your mind that says,”… maybe it’s true…” Depending on how hopeful you are, the offer seems even less ludicrous. And that’s the very danger we’re talking about.

Here’s how the scam works and how it affects you if you or someone you know were to pursue the “lottery winnings.”

Scammers know we’re hopeful. They count on it. The promise of a large sum of money is a very effective tool at inhibiting rational thought. They send this “official” notice with the good news to whichever addresses they can acquire from mailing lists, phishing, social networking, etc. These guys do their research. They will take advantage of any situation to get your information and even tug on your heart strings. They work to quell your suspicions with explanations of how you were chosen, none of them valid, of course. They even provide phone numbers, so you can “verify” the check you received.

The checks look real. Of course they do. That’s because scammers are very good at this. They can obtain check paper stock to make these checks look and feel authentic. But these checks will never clear. And when you send the money back to handle the fake taxes and processing fees, you can count on the fact you’ll never see that money again.

And, just to make sure we clear on this, for anyone that knows these checks are fraudulent and hopes it will just slip by unnoticed, well… that constitutes fraud. Plain and simple. Our policy is to place an indefinite hold on the check until it clears, and since it will never clear… I think you get the idea.

All of these people falling for the check fraud scams… is it really a big deal? Without a doubt. It costs the member if they fall for the scam, as they may have sent off funds to the scammers, and they’ll obviously never see that money again. It also costs the financial institutions big time when dealing with all this fraud. This affects the bottom line, and for Truliant members that may mean lower dividends and higher interest rates on loans. Everyone suffers.

So, what do we do?

It really just comes down to making sure we approach these scams with common sense. As far as lottery scams go, if you never bought a ticket, then you are not a winner. Period! How do we help people maintain rational thought when someone is waving big dollar signs in front of our face? Gentle guidance? A stern lecture? A slap across the face? A great big hug? I say, whatever it takes to knock some sense into these people. Now I’m not advocating violence… nor the creepy kind of hugs…, but I think it falls on us to help those suffering from a lapse of judgment. Perhaps, with all of our efforts, we can increase awareness and stop the madness.

What about you? Do you know someone who’s fallen for this kind of scam? Have you received the “good news” in the mail before?

And for those of you wondering, yes, I have received the fake lottery notice and check before. The check looks pretty convincing.