Beware of Bogus Lotteries

A Missouri mother of two is among the latest victims of an elaborate scheme to steal money through bogus Facebook lotteries, the Consumer Fraud Task Force warns.

The fake lottery schemes have been around for at least five years, but the Task Force cautions they have become more sophisticated in recent months as thieves look for new ways to deceive scam-wary consumers.

In the Missouri case, a woman from Eolia, Mo., said thieves used a variety of tricks earlier this month to convince her that she had won a $200,000 lottery prize through the social media networking site. Ultimately, the woman said, she wired two payments totaling $3,750 to Texas. The thieves told her the money was required to pay taxes on her winnings.

“I kept saying, ‘this sounds like a scam,’” she said. When she finally learned she had been taken, “I flipped out.” The situation was so devastating, the woman said she contemplated suicide.

The woman said the thieves initially stole the Facebook identity of a church friend and began messaging her in an effort to convince her that both of them had won a $200,000 prize. The Eolia woman said the thieves also set up what appeared to be the Facebook page of a government official, sent over fake photos of other Facebook lottery “winners” holding giant checks and sent her what appeared to be a lottery certificate identifying her as a winner. The certificate included the name of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.

The scheme appears similar to others reported across the U.S. and Canada. Last month, a 76-year-old woman from Murfreesboro, Tenn., lost more than $21,000 in an almost identical case. That woman, too, initially was contacted through Facebook by a thief who had stolen the identity of a friend. In March, a woman from Toledo, Ohio, reported losing $9,000 in a Facebook lottery scheme after she was contacted by a thief posing as the woman’s cousin.

The bogus lottery is just one of many schemes directed at Facebook users and designed to steal personal information or money. Some of the most common include:

• Facebook romance schemes. Thieves ask for money after developing a romantic relationship with the victim.
• Privacy hoaxes. Thieves claiming to represent Facebook try to charge users to keep their pages private or their information secure.
• Phony Facebook quizzes. Thieves try to get users to click on fake quizzes or tests to hijack their computer or steal information.

The Task Force offers the following tips to help Facebook users avoid falling victim to thieves:

• Facebook does not sponsor a lottery. Anyone who tries to get you to pay any money in advance of receiving a prize is trying to steal your money.
• If you believe a friend’s Facebook identity may have been stolen, cease communications with him or her until you have investigated.Hackers have become adept at stealing Facebook identities and then using those identifies to convince others to give up money or personal information. If you have any reason to believe you may not be communicating with a friend or family member, verify the person’s identity by phone or email.
• Be cautious of clicking on unfamiliar sites and be particularly cautious about giving anyone any personal information through these sites.
• Be suspicious of anyone you do not know asking to “friend” you on Facebook. Thieves often use this as a first step in gaining your trust in hopes of stealing money or personal information.
• If you receive a friend request from someone you know, first check to see if you're already friends with that person. If you recognize a page as a fake, you can report it at: https://www.facebook.com/help/174210519303259?ref=u2u
• Facebook says if an email or post looks strange, don’t click any links or open any attachments, and report it to the company. Emails can be forwarded to phish@fb.com. Learn how to report suspicious Facebook messages by going to:https://www.facebook.com/help/199655413426788/?ref=u2u To learn more about suspicious emails or notifications, visit the Facebook Help Center at: https://www.facebook.com/help/324203247669141/?ref=u2u

The Task Force is a coalition of local, state and federal government agencies and nonprofit business and consumer groups in Missouri and Illinois that work together to protect consumer and donor rights and guard against fraud.

The group has tackled predatory payday loan offers, tax scams, timeshare reselling fraud, credit repair and foreclosure scams, bogus sweepstakes, Internet sweetheart scams, home remodeling, air duct cleaning schemes and a variety of other issues.

To obtain additional information, or to report a scam, you may contact members of the Task Force:

Better Business Bureau Serving Eastern Missouri and Southern Illinois – (314) 645-3300; www.bbb.org.

Federal Trade Commission – (877) FTC-HELP (382-4357); www.ftc.gov.

Illinois Attorney General – (800) 243-0618; www.illinoisattorneygeneral.gov.

Missouri Attorney General – (800) 392-8222; www.ago.mo.gov.

U.S. Attorney, Eastern District of Missouri – (314) 539-2200; www.usdoj.gov/usao/moe.

U.S. Postal Inspection Service – (877) 876-2455; postalinspectors.uspis.gov.

U.S. Secret Service – (314) 539-2238; www.secretservice.gov.

Better Business Bureau in Greater Kansas City – (816) 421-7800; www.bbb.org.