What Are Advanced Fee Sweepstakes?
Advanced fee sweepstakes are any kind of sweepstakes where you have to pay a fee before receiving some kind of gift or prize. The scheme can work in a variety of ways. One type is when the victim gets a letter or postcard in the mail that says they have won either some amount of money or a prize. The card will say to call an 800 number to find out how to get their money. Once the victim has called the 800 number they usually have to go through some ¿verification¿ steps, such as entering a code that was listed on their mailed notice. The victim then will be told they must call a 900 number in order to receive their prize money. When you call the 900 number you will need to provide a credit card number and will be charged a certain amount per minute. The phone call will usually be long requiring the victim to pay around $20 to $40 in charges, or perhaps even more. Another scheme occurs when a telemarketer calls the victim to tell them they have won the lotto, or Publisher¿s Clearing House, or some other contest and are about to receive a large sum of money. The telemarketer may say that before they can send you the prize you must send them a specified amount of money to cover the amount of federal taxes owed.
What¿s the Catch?
Simple: you are not going to get any money. The amount of money you spent on that phone call or the amount you paid in federal taxes is going to be kept by the scammer whom you sent it to. They never had any prize money to give you in the first place.
What Should I Do if I Have Been the Victim of One of These Scams?
You may want to consult an attorney who has experience in consumer fraud issues. Your attorney will be able to advise you as to what options you have, and what would be the best course of action for you to take. You may even be able be compensated for the money you lost to the scam in a lawsuit against the scammer. |
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