Consumers: Don’t Be Fooled by Imposters Tempting You with Big Financial Prizes and Counterfeit Checks
20 1월 2012 - 10:00PM
Business Wire
It’s tempting to play a foreign lottery, especially when you
hear you have better odds playing overseas than in the U.S. It’s
also tempting to draw on your sweepstakes winnings of a million
dollars, especially when the check looks legitimate and the funds
are cleared for use by your bank in just a couple of days.
Consumers beware: if it sounds too good to be true, it usually
is.
“Sophisticated scammers prey on people lured in by these ‘once
in a lifetime’ offers and then take the money and run,” said
Shelley Bernhardt, Director of Consumer Protection at Western Union
(NYSE: WU), a leader in global payment services. “We want to
provide consumers with the right information so they can avoid
these kinds of traps. After all, they’re the first and best line of
defense against fraud.”
Lottery or prize scams follow two similar patterns:
1. Victims get an unsolicited phone call,
email, letter or fax from someone claiming to work for a government
agency or claiming to represent a well-known celebrity, notifying
them that they’ve won a lot of money. The scammer gains their trust
and explains that, in order to collect their winnings, they first
have to send a small sum of money back to pay for processing fees
or taxes. Following the instructions they’re given, they
immediately wire the money. They never hear again from the person
who contacted them and they’re out the money they paid for “fees
and taxes.”
2. Victims get an unsolicited check or money
order and directions to deposit the money and immediately wire a
portion of it back to cover processing fees or taxes. Weeks later,
victims learn the checks are counterfeit, but they’ve already wired
the money to cover the “taxes” and can’t get it back. And they’re
on the hook to pay their banks back for any money they
withdrew.
According to the Federal Trade Commission, more than 120,000
people submitted complaints about these types of scams in 2010.
In the first scenario, the offers look and sound legitimate.
But a legitimate sweepstakes company won’t make you pay-to-play
or pay to receive your winnings. Scammers also lie to lure a victim
in and may use appealing devices, such as celebrity names, to make
their offer seem more authentic. The top sweepstakes scam of
2011, according to the Better Business Bureau, is the email
claiming to be from Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg announcing
that the receiver won $1 million.
In the second scenario, victims are tempted by a
legitimate-looking check and mistakenly think their bank confirms
the funds are good before allowing them access to it. This is
false—by law banks must make the funds deposited available within a
few days, but it can take weeks to uncover a fake check.
Said Bernhardt: “Lottery and prize scams are one of the leading
fraudulent schemes we see people fall victim to but people can
protect themselves by keeping in mind a few simple rules.”
The rules include:
- Never send money to people or
organizations you don’t know; only send money to people you
personally know and trust.
- Never send money to pay for taxes or
fees on lottery or prize winnings. Legitimate sweepstakes don’t
require you to pay or buy something to enter or improve your
chances of winning; or to pay taxes or processing fees to get your
prize.
- Never provide your banking information
to unknown individuals or businesses.
- Never withdraw or send funds from a
check in your account until it officially clears, which can take
weeks.
- Be alert. If an offer sounds too good
to be true, it usually is.
- Do your research. Check out the company
that contacted you with local law enforcement or a consumer
protection agency like the Better Business Bureau, the Federal
Trade Commission, or other trusted sources.
- Read the fine print—legitimate offers
clearly disclose the terms and conditions of the promotion,
including the rules, how the entry process works, and your odds of
winning.
- Don’t play the foreign lottery. It’s
illegal.
Western Union provides a trusted and reliable way for people to
send money to family members and friends. However, it is important
to remember that a money transfer can be paid out to the receiver
within a short time—even minutes—and after the money is paid,
consumers cannot obtain a refund from Western Union even if the
transfer was the result of fraud.
If you sent a Western Union Money Transfer® and believe you may
be a victim of fraud, call the Western Union Fraud Hotline number
at (800) 448-1492. Information on fraud scams is available on the
Consumer Protection section of Western Union website at:
http://www.westernunion.com/stopfraud. Additional information on
money transfer scams is available from the Federal Trade Commission
at: www.ftc.gov > Consumer Protection > Money Matters >
Scam Watch > Money Wiring Scams.
About Western Union
The Western Union Company (NYSE: WU) is a leader in global
payment services. Together with its Vigo, Orlandi Valuta, Pago
Facil and Western Union Business Solutions branded payment
services, Western Union provides consumers and businesses with
fast, reliable and convenient ways to send and receive money around
the world, to send payments and to purchase money orders. As of
Sept. 30, 2011, the Western Union, Vigo and Orlandi Valuta branded
services are offered through a combined network of approximately
485,000 agent locations in 200 countries and territories. In 2010,
The Western Union Company completed 214 million
consumer-to-consumer transactions worldwide, moving $76 billion of
principal between consumers, and 405 million business payments. For
more information, visit www.westernunion.com.
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