January, 2005

Mail Fraud

A woman received a letter from BC’s Lottery Commission advising her that she had just won $500,000.  She didn’t remember playing the lottery so she was skeptical.  But there was a check with the award letter in the amount of $4,800.  So she was smart enough to smell a scam when she saw one, and smarter to check into it deeper before she threw $4,800 in the trashcan. 

It only took a couple phone calls to the bank and the real lottery commission in British Columbia to get the scoop.  These guys sent a mass mailing of these award letters, telling each recipient they just won $500,000.  They included a real (but worthless) check for $4,800 and told them that they had to contact their American agent Mike Williams out of northern Vermont.  And time is short, so you better call within two weeks or it will be too late.

Once they got you on the phone, they get your birth date and social security number for tax purposes, and your bank account information so they can wire in the rest of the funds.   And from there it’s a short trip to cleaning out your savings account and skipping town before you find out the $4,800 check you already spent just bounced.

This woman was right to be wary in this situation.  If you don’t remember entering a lottery, don’t believe it when someone tells you that you just won one.  Lotteries work one of two ways:  One: you buy a ticket and watch the drawing.  If you win, you have to contact them; they don’t contact you.  Two, you enter a promotional contest which requires, surveys, product purchases, or downloading some virus-ridden spy program onto your computer.  And it usually requires multiple levels of this harassment before the final money-winner is drawn.  Either way, you know darn well you have entered a lottery long before someone let’s you know you were the grand winner.

We’ve all heard sayings like: “If it seems too good to be true, then it probably is” and  “Beware of Greeks bearing gifts.” (Greeks being the enemy in the Trojan Horse story.)  Here’s a new one: “Fruit doesn’t blossom from a tree unplanted.”  Okay, my adages are lame, but you get the idea.