Fake lottery scam dupes woman out of $16K
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SHOW LOW, AZ (KTVK/KPHO) — Nancy Faulkner uses Facebook to keep up with family. “I am often on with my daughter because she posts pictures of the grandkids and what they’re doing,” Nancy told 3 On Your Side. But recently, a scammer used the social media giant to dupe Nancy out of thousands of dollars. “At first I said, “It’s a scam,’ and I told myself I wasn’t going to fall for it.” Unfortunately, she did fall for it.
It’s called the Lottery Scam. Here’s how it works.“You’re told your name is on a lottery winnings list. Nancy was even shown an online certificate with her name on it, saying she had won $600,000. Well, that got Nancy excited. “Oh, I was! I was making plans to buy some land and build a brand new house because my house is 50 years old and it needs some repairs,” she said.
You’re then told to send money. And the more you send, the more you win. “How much money did you send in?” asked 3 On Your Side’s Gary Harper. “$12,000,” she replied. “And for $12,000 how much were you going to win?” he asked. “$550,000,” Nancy said.
But Nancy says her winnings never arrived, so she contacted 3 On Your Side. “Well, I contacted you because I watch 3 On Your Side and all your reports and I thought possibly this was a scam.”
Nancy now knows she fell for a scam and wound up losing $12,000 but also an additional $4,000 to cover more fees for a total of $16,000.
And get this: the con man who stole her money actually contacted Nancy during our conversation trying to convince her to send even more money, claiming it’s not a scam. “Oh my God. He’s just came online. He’s saying good morning to me,” Nancy said as she read the fraudster’s post. “He’s actually trying to steal more money?” Harper asked. “Probably so,” Nancy said in disbelief.
These scammers are relentless. Once they bait you and successful get you to send money, they will keep contacting you in hopes of getting more. Don’t fall for it. There is no online lottery and there is no Facebook Lottery.
Visit the links below for further information from from the Federal Trade Commission about scams and similar fake lotteries.
consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0199-prize-scams
consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0199-prize-scams
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