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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Never pay money in advance to claim sweepstakes prizes, Better Business Bureau warns

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Above / Losses in sweepstakes and lottery scams have increased 35% since beginning of 2020, according to news from Better Business Bureau, attributing scams conducted during pandemic toward playing a role.

Sweepstakes and lottery scams resulted in higher financial losses during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the previous three years, according to new research from Better Business Bureau® (BBB). BBB warns consumers never to pay money to claim a prize. If anyone asks for money before delivering a prize, it is likely a scam.

The research is an update of BBB’s 2018 in-depth investigative studySweepstakes, Lottery and Prize Scams: A Better Business Bureau Study of How “Winners” Lose Millions Through an Evolving Fraud.

Since the study’s publication three years ago, there has been a 16% decrease in complaints to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). However, financial losses reported to all three agencies rose dramatically in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, with FTC logging an increase of more than 35% in reported dollar losses. 

The updated research highlights how these scams work and the importance of educating consumers, particularly those who may be susceptible to a specific scam.

Educate friends, family, self and others how scams work

Never send or give cash/checks/credit cards/gift cards in advance in order to collect winnings.

According to Steve Baker, BBB International Investigations Specialist, “This updated research highlights how these scams work and the importance of educating older adults and other people who may be susceptible to these scams. Because these scammers are so good at what they do, anyone could be a victim.” 

“Adults 18-54 lost an average of $279 while people over the age of 55 continue to be the primary target of sweepstakes, lottery, and prize scams,” added Steve Bernas, president and CEO of BBB of Chicago and Northern Illinois. “They represent 72% of fraud reports for this type of scam received by BBB Scam Tracker during the last three years. Of the older consumers who were targeted, 91% reported that they lost money. Adults over 55 lost an average of $978.”

The confinement and isolation many people experienced during COVID-19 may have helped fuel the increase in losses. 

Recent BBB interviews with repeat victims of sweepstakes scams, however, found few to be the stereotypical “frail shut-in” that many people envision,” explained Baker, the author of the 2018 study. Instead, Baker noted that the victims interviewed were ordinary people more interested in using the imagined winnings to help their families or communities than spending it on themselves. 

“They may believe the winnings will enhance their role in the family, as well as the ability to financially help their younger relatives,” noted Debbie Deem, a retired FBI Victim Assistance Specialist. “It may feel good to be financially helpful again, especially if this was their former primary role in the family.”

Quarantine isolation helped scammers sell scams

Confinement during the pandemic, along with powerful social influence tactics, help lottery scammers sell the scam, according to Anthony Pratkanis, Professor Emeritus of the University of California.

“After profiling the victim, they take any role — friend, authority, someone in need — to best work their crimes,” Pratkanis told BBB. “Scammers often talk to victims every day, grooming them and building trusting relationships. They take careful notes of the victim’s family and other aspects of their lives, and like romance frauds, try to isolate victims from their traditional support structure. Scammers also employ different voices, sounding authoritative at one point, speaking as a partner at others, or even acting as a supplicant asking for help to make the prize finally appear.”

Scam scenarios use social media, email, phone, etc.

According to BBB Scam Tracker data, sweepstakes scammers reach out through a variety of channels: phone calls, email, social media, notices in the mail, and text messages. They may impersonate well-known sweepstakes such as Publishers Clearing House or a state or provincial lottery. The “winner” is told to pay taxes or fees before the prize can be awarded.

The FTC notes that people increasingly are asked to buy gift cards to pay these fees — its use is documented further in BBB’s 2021 in-depth investigative study on gift card fraud — but they also may be asked to pay via wire transfer or bank deposit into a specified account, or even cash sent by mail. 

In reality, the prize does not exist, something the people may not realize before paying thousands of dollars that cannot be recouped. However, the harm suffered by lottery fraud victims can far exceed the loss of that money. The losses can put severe strains on family trust, and victims have even committed suicide. In addition, repeat victims may have difficulty ending their involvement in a lottery scam, and they may become money mules who receive and forward money from other lottery fraud victims.

Scam scenario includes daily phone calls

Shortly after his wife died in 2020, a man was contacted by scammers who told him he had won second place in a popular sweepstakes, winning $2.5 million, a brand-new luxury car, and gold medallions. He subsequently began talking to the scammers daily on the phone, reaching out to them even after his daughter changed his phone number. He withdrew money from his retirement account and opened a separate account, sending a total of $72,000 in cash to an address in Mississippi before his daughter cut off contact between him and the scammers.

Scam scenario includes reported losses, threats over 3 years

Another woman reported losing at least $35,000 over the course of three years after receiving a letter from “Mega Millions” in April 2017 that told her she had won $5.5 million and a 2019 Mercedes Benz. The woman said the scammer, with whom she spoke on the phone daily for several years, initially requested $9,500 in fees, but more requests for money followed. The woman paid the “fees” by wire transfer and gift cards. She also cashed a counterfeit cashier’s check sent by the scammers, which resulted in criminal charges against her. Later, the woman acted as a money mule on several occasions and fraud victims subsequently began contacting her directly. She believed all of these tasks were necessary for her to receive her winnings. When the woman complained to the scammer with whom she had been speaking, he threatened her and her son.

Don’t be a money mule

Lottery scammers also often use victims as “money mules” to receive money paid by other victims and then transfer the money to the scammers. This makes it harder to trace victim funds and find the actual scammer. Some victims do this without realizing that the money is coming from other fraud victims; others may believe that this is a way to recover some of the funds they have lost. Still others may become mules because of threats from the scammers.

As described in BBB’s 2018 study, sweepstakes and lottery fraud frequently originates from Jamaica, with the U.S. ambassador to that country estimating in August 2020 that such fraud is a $500 million to $1 billion industry there. The U.S. and Jamaica have partnered in an international law enforcement effort known as Project Jolt, resulting in numerous prosecutions. Reports also have implicated Costa Rican and, most recently, Nigerian nationals.

Know how to tell fake offers from real ones

  • True lotteries or sweepstakes don’t ask for money. If someone wants money for taxes, themselves, or a third party, they are most likely crooks.
  • You have to enter to win. To win a lottery, you must buy a lottery ticket. To win a sweepstakes or prize, you must have entered first. If you can’t remember doing so, that’s a red flag.
  • Call the sweepstakes company directly to see if you won. Publishers Clearing House (PCH) does not call people in advance to tell them they’ve won. Report PCH imposters on their website. Check to see if you have actually won at 800-392-4190.
  • Check to see if you won a lottery. If you are told you’ve won a lottery, call the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries at 440-361-7962 or your local state lottery agency to confirm it.
  • Do an internet search of the company, name, or phone number of the person who contacted you. Check BBB Scam Tracker to see if other consumers have had similar experiences.
  • Law enforcement officials do not call and award prizes. Verify the identity of the caller and do not send money until you do. 
  • Talk to a trusted family member or your bank. They may be able to help. You also can call your local BBB office for help in identifying a scam.

File a report of lottery/sweepstakes fraud

Better Business Bureau (BBB®) 

Better Business Bureau of Chicago and Northern Illinois is a nonprofit organization that has served both consumers and trustworthy businesses for over 95 years and is a part of the IABBB. We help protect consumers from scams and provide an extensive free database for consumers to see business ratings and reviews. We help promote trustworthy businesses and strive to provide tools to help businesses of integrity excel.

Submitted by Naperville resident Steve J. Bernas, President & CEO, BBB of Chicago & Northern IL.

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