347-535-1494

they call me said I won money but wanted me to send them 3690.00 befour I could get my money

Did they send you a check to be deposited in your account ?

Does anyone know if this is a scam or not I got a real check to deposit??

OF COURSE ITS A SCAM - no LEGITIMATE Sweepstakes or Lottery will send you a check to pay taxes with - only to turn around and send it back to them.

Take it to you bank (DO NOT DEPOSIT IT) and ask them to Verify it FIRST!  They will tell you its fraudulent and the "Company name" being used is stolen or a look a like...


FROM FTC WEBSITE

Sweepstakes & Lotteries Scams


Congratulations, it's your lucky day! You've just won $5,000!
If you get a phone call or a letter with a message like this, be skeptical. Scam artists often use the promise of a valuable prize or award to entice consumers to send money, buy overpriced products or services, or contribute to bogus charities. People who fall for their ploys may end up paying more and more for the products — if they ever get them at all.


How to avoid prize and sweepstakes fraud

The next time you get a "personal" telephone call or letter telling you "it's your lucky day," remember:

Don't pay to collect sweepstakes winnings. If you have to pay to collect your winnings, you're not winning — you're buying. Legitimate sweepstakes don't require you to pay "insurance," "taxes", or "shipping and handling charges" to collect your prize.

Hold on to your money. Scammers pressure people to wire money through commercial money transfer companies because wiring money is the same as sending cash. When the money's gone, there's very little chance of recovery. Likewise, resist any push to send a check or money order by overnight delivery or courier. Con artists recommend these services so they can get to your money before you realize you've been cheated.

Phone numbers can deceive. Some con artists use Internet technology to call you. It allows them to disguise their area code: although it may look like they're calling from your local area, they could be calling from anywhere in the world.


How to recognize a reloader

Their offer requires a "recovery fee." Legitimate organizations, like national, state, and local consumer enforcement agencies and non-profit organizations, do not charge or guarantee results for their services to help you get your money back from a telemarketing fraud.

Their offer requires you to wire money or send it by a courier.

They contact you several times to urge you to buy more merchandise to increase your chances of winning so-called valuable prizes.

Fake Check Scams
It's your lucky day! You just won a foreign lottery! The caller says so. And they are sending a cashier's check to cover the taxes and fees. All you have to do to get your winnings is deposit the check and wire the money to the sender to pay the taxes and fees. You're guaranteed that when they get your payment, you'll get your prize.

There's just one catch: this is a scam. The check is no good, even though it appears to be a legitimate cashier's check. The lottery angle is a trick to get you to wire money to someone you don't know. If you were to deposit the check and wire the money, your bank would soon learn that the check was a fake. And you would be out the money: The money you wired can't be recovered, and you're responsible for the checks you deposit - even though you don't know they're fake.

International Lottery Scams

“Congratulations! You may receive a certified check for up to $400,000 U.S. CASH! Tax free! Your odds to WIN are 1-6.” “Hundreds of U.S. citizens win every week using our secret system! You can win as much as you want!”

Sound great? It's a fraud.

Scam operators — often based in Canada — are using the telephone to entice U.S. consumers to buy chances in high-stakes foreign lotteries from as far away as Australia and Europe. These lottery solicitations violate U.S. law, which prohibits the cross-border sale or purchase of lottery tickets by phone or mail.

The FTC has these words of caution for consumers who are thinking about responding to a foreign lottery:

1. If you play a foreign lottery —on the telephone or through the mail — you're violating federal law.
2. There are no secret systems for winning foreign lotteries. Your chances of winning more than the cost of your tickets are slim to none.

3. If you purchase one foreign lottery ticket, expect many more bogus offers for lottery or investment “opportunities.” Your name will be placed on “sucker lists” that fraudulent telemarketers buy and sell.

4. Keep your credit card and bank account numbers to yourself. Scam artists often ask for them during an unsolicited sales pitch.

5. The bottom line: Ignore all phone solicitations for foreign lottery promotions. If you receive what looks like lottery material from a foreign country, give it to your local postmaster.


FTC Publications

A JOLT from the Blue: Jamaican Fraudsters Using Telemarketing to Target U.S. Consumers
Prize Offers: You Don't Have to Pay to Play
Latest Sweepstakes Scams
International Lottery Scams [PDF]
Scammers Exploit the FTC’s Good Name, Promise Phony Sweepstakes Prizes [PDF]

More Resources

Your state Attorney General's website

Hello anyone who recieves this message....... THIS IS A SCAM they have tryed doing this to me before I have contacted my police department and they r investigating these guys I just want to know where the hell they got my name and address any one got a clue?

Hello anyone who recieves this message....... THIS IS A SCAM they have tryed doing this to me before I have contacted my police department and they r investigating these guys I just want to know where the hell they got my name and address any one got a clue?

SCAM! They tell you a relative is in trouble and you have to wire or send them money. Targeting the elderly. Please pass this on to your neighbors & family members.

Got a call 5-15-12 from Mega Lottery saying that I won 25,000,000.00.  Before they could start their speal.  I asked how they got my number.  Answer: Randomly.  I asked for his call back number [(347) 478-8166]. I asked if they were representing the actual Mega Million Lottery.  Answer:Yes.  I asked for the Mega Lottery toll free number. Answer: I gave you a callback number.  I would not give or verify any personal information.  I told them to send me a certified letter.  The person on the phone had a foriegn accent and seemed to get very flusted that I was was not following along with the scam.

Remember to always protect yourself.  You never have to pay money to win anything legitimately.

Stay safe.