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Lottery scam strikes two Collier County victims
Thursday, June 22, 2006 posted 11:24 AM EDT
In Collier County in the past two weeks, two "winners" have lost $4,000 each by wiring money out of the country.
Here's how the scam works:
The victim is notified by U.S. mail that they have won a large amount of money from a lottery. The names often used in these
scams are Lotto XChange, Money Camp International and Lotto Services.
Attached to the letter is a check for several thousand dollars. The letter explains that the check is to be used to pay the
insurance and processing fees to claim the winnings.
The victim is then told to deposit the check into their account and then wire a large portion of the check - usually 75 to
80 percent of the total check - to Canada or another country.
Several days later, the victim is told by their bank that the check is counterfeit and the total amount of the check will
be charged back to their account.
Be cautious when you receive a letter in the mail advising you have won a large amount of money in a lottery. If it is a
valid lottery, you will not be asked to pay any money to receive your winnings.
Playing a foreign lottery, through the mail or over the telephone, is a violation of federal law.
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