From the Bureau: Don’t fall for sweepstakes scams

Those who enter sweepstakes and lotteries always await that special phone call notifying them that they’ve won big.

Unfortunately, scammers know just how to play into emotions and are very good at tricking people into paying for prizes they haven’t actually won.

The most frequent consumer report at the BBB involves fraudulent online contact or phone calls from folks who impersonate lottery or Publishers Clearing House representatives.

Many scams have gone high tech, but this one remains pretty simple.

The consumer is contacted from someone claiming to be a lottery or sweepstakes employee. They inform the victim that they have won millions of dollars and a new car. They might even send a photo of the car and ask for specific delivery instructions for the winnings. There might be further enticement when they state the prizes will be delivered by real celebrities.

Next comes the catch that every consumer should consider a big red flag.

Before receiving the prize, there is a payment that must be made for some form of a fee for taxes or processing.

To pay these “fees,” the individual on the phone requests the purchase a gift card and asks to be provided with the numbers on the back of the card. They also tell you to send or wire money to a specific bank account. These fees can be hefty, ranging from a few hundred to thousands of dollars.

There can be another layer to the scam when they ask for more personal information like a bank name, account and routing numbers.

What to do? Once it becomes clear that the call is a scam, hang up the phone. However, the scammer may call back multiple times and leave several messages asking for the money, making it difficult to end communication. Resist the urge to engage further.

How to avoid scams

Bobby Hansen is regional director for the Better Business Bureau Cedar Rapids office. Comments: (319) 365-1190; info@dm.bbb.org