Police Warn of International Lottery Scam

Friday, September 08, 2006 posted 01:59 PM EDT

LONG NECK, Del.- You have heard the saying, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. And this saying holds true about a recent scam that could show up in your mailbox.

The checks look like the real deal. They have a watermark and name of a legitimate bank. But after you cash it, and mail back some of it to the scammers, police said the bank will learn it is counterfeit.

Long Neck resident Herb Dutt said it was a good day when he got a check in the mail for more than $4,800 with a message attached saying he won the lottery.

"I thought I was pretty lucky getting that, not writing for it or sending for it or anything," Dutt said.

But he checked with his bank before he cashed it and it is a good thing he did. Police said he would have got the money and then he was told to send some of that back to the scammers. The scammers promised that is when he would get the rest of his prize. But police said foreign checks usually take a month or two to clear and only then do banks find out they are counterfeit.

Dutt said he almost cashed it.

"Somebody sends me a check and it looks pretty authentic, but it wasn't. It was too good to be true," he said.

Delaware State Police say they are seeing more of these scams. And their hands are tied, because the scammers are out of the country.

"Even if we found out where they are say in Spain or wherever, we'd not be able to prosecute," said Delaware State Police Cpl. Jeffry Oldham.

If you do get one of these letters and a check, Oldham said you should throw it out. And prevent yourself from becoming a victim.

"The rule of thumb for any scam is if it is too good to be true, it probably is," he said.

Oldham also noted that it is illegal to play any type of international lottery, and people should be suspicious when they receive a letter and a check, knowing that they have not played any type of international lottery. No legitimate lottery requires the winner to pay to receive a prize.

According to Oldham, if people decide to send money to one of these international lotteries, they can notify police who will write a theft report, but they should not expect to get their money back. Oldham said there is virtually no way to find the perpetrators of these crimes.

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