A click here and a tap there and you could lose lakhs. Online fraud is rampant and continues to rise. Who could be a victim of these scams? Well, the answer is as simple as the answer to the question, how many people in India own a smartphone.
A cursory look at the text messages we all receive and the frequency of those texts is enough to give an idea about how confident the scammers are.
Among scams like the most recent ‘Pink’ WhatsApp scam, lurks one of the most enticing scams of all, the lottery scams. These scams exploit an individual’s desire to win large sums of money quickly. This scam hopes to trap the naive, unsuspecting and those in a desperate need of a quick magical turn of their fate.
What are lottery scams?
The scammers behind lottery scams contact innocent and trusting victims via a call, email or text saying they have won a lottery, sweepstakes or a prize. What follows is a back and forth conversation between the potential victims and the fraudsters in which the cheats try to convince people of the genuinity of the whole charade. They will most probably ask people to pay some amount of money to claim the “lottery” they have just won or to help facilitate the process of getting the reward to the “winners”.
Typical characteristics of a lottery scam
Unsolicited communication
A lot of the messages that people get from lottery scammers are unsolicited. The victims who get such calls or texts usually have not participated in any such lottery schemes.
Advance fee payment
It has been often seen that fraudsters ask their victims to pay a fee to help facilitate the transfer of their winnings.
Posing as a part of known organisation
Many a times scammers tell people that they are a part of a known organisation to gain their trust. Sometimes they also start posing as such after being pressed by people for more details about them.
Fake websites
To make their scheme look legit, scammers also create fake websites as many people ask for more details and try to look for signs of authenticity.
Asking for personal information
As seen with other scams, lottery scammers also try to dig out personal and financial information of their potential victims. Legitimate lottery organisations do not require sensitive information such as passwords, cards or bank account details.
How to avoid lottery scams?
There are several ways in which one can avoid falling victim to lottery scams.
Do not respond
It is a good practice to not respond to messages or calls regarding fake lottery winnings.
Skepticism is the key
Always be skeptical. Keep it mind that people are always trying to take money from you rather than give it to you for no cost, especially if you never registered for a lottery.
Verify the source
Research the organisation and see if they run any such said lottery schemes. Follow this up with questions to the people who try contacting you with offers.
Do not pay to claim a prize
Avoid paying to claim any of the winnings. If someone as you to pay for any reason, it is most likely a scam.
Never share personal information
Almost all the scams ask for people’s sensitive information. Do not share such information. These days all online platforms and organisations, including banks, run a disclaimer saying they never ask their customers for personal information.
Smell the facade of urgency
Fraudsters always create a sense of urgency around the payment “due” to them. They will pressurise their victims to act quickly.
