NCJ Number
227726
Date Published
2004
Length
0 pages
Annotation
This DVD dramatizes an actual case of a scam in which the U.S. mail was used to promote bogus foreign lotteries that duped people into sending money to the scammers, followed by commentary that includes steps for preventing becoming a victim of such a scam.
Abstract
In the dramatized case, postal inspectors arrest the scammer, who provides details on the scam in an effort to obtain a favorable plea bargain. In the course of the interview, the defendant describes a scam in which persons on a list of respondents to prior easy-money schemes were mailed a brochure that advertised one or more foreign lotteries for which tickets were billed as cheaper than and with odds more favorable than American lotteries. After the respondents sent their money, they either did not win or were told that they won, but must pay taxes on their winnings, which they never received. The money was sent to the address of a front organization that was dissolved when the scam ran its course. Following the dramatization, a commentator advises that under U.S. law, it is illegal to promote or play a foreign lottery. The commentator further advises that once an individual plays a bogus foreign lottery, he/she is put on a "sucker list" that is sold to other scammers involved in a variety of scams. The lesson of the presentation is to not play foreign lotteries, because it is against the law, is a scam, and results in being targeted for multiple scams in the future. Additional advice is to avoid giving any personal or financial information to a person or organization who makes an unsolicited contact by mail or phone.