How to protect yourself from online scams

The online lottery market has been infiltrated with multiple unscrupulous individuals who are out to con some unsuspecting people. Most scammers understand that lotteries entail lots of money, and therefore their target audience may easily give in to their malicious schemes. The scammers tell the unsuspecting individuals that they’ve won the lottery and require some amount to process their prizes. Keep reading to discover the methods that scammers use and how to avoid their schemes.

The online scams understand that people are located in different parts of the world and use different methods to communicate with them. The means of communication to their clients include:

Email messages

You receive an email that indicates that you’ve won a lottery prize in another country. Through the email, you’ll be requested to send a specific amount of money that would be used to process your prize amount. The scammers normally attach a fake check with their email and ask you to deposit the check and instantly wire transfer the amount. Because the check is fake, the bank will reject it after some time.

Congratulatory messages

Sometimes, scammers send congratulatory messages to your email account that announce that you’ve won the jackpot. Because the message looks like it comes from a genuine lottery firm, you may fall victim to the scammer if you don’t keenly evaluate the information to determine its source. The message asks you to wire transfer a small amount so that the company can process your lottery amount. Most of the time, cons indicate that the amount is used for administrative purposes and payment of taxes.

Use of phones

The con artists may also contact their victims through phone calls and have long chats with them. This form of conversation, in most cases, targets the elderly and lonely individuals. The tricksters start congratulating their victims and by informing them that they’ve won the lottery prizes. Scammers sometimes introduce themselves as lawyers from the lottery company so that their victims regard them as professionals. Because sometimes scammers call from other countries, they may hide their area code.

SMS-Text messages 

Sometimes the scammers target their victims with short messages. In most cases, the messages are short and congratulate the receiver and offer them a link which they can click and access their prizes. These links are harmful as they may contain malware and spyware that may be loaded on the victim’s devices.

In-person

Occasionally, the tricksters may engage their victims at a personal level. They may target specific groups of people, especially the elderly and the lonely. They may present themselves as illegal immigrants who have won a lottery ticket but may not access it because of their status. They ask the victims for a small amount in exchange for the winning ticket.

How to recognize a genuine lottery company 

A genuine lottery company has a well-reviewed site and is recognized by various bodies in the industry. The lottery site has multiple principles that it adheres to. In case you’re looking for the best platform, Lottoland Asia is a secure site to play the lottery.