How to identify and protect yourself from lottery and gift card scams

Consumer contributor Jennifer Jolly talks about fraud to realtor Ganice Morgan-Austin. PHOTO: Video screenshot USA Today

The catch is nearly all the same… you’re asked to send money to receive an incredible sweepstake or lottery prize. And it’s always a scam.

Nearly a half-million people reported some kind of lottery or sweepstakes-related fraud to enforcement agencies in the United States and Canada in the last three years, reported USA Today.

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Victims can be told they need to pay a transfer fee in order to claim winnings from Jamaica. The Better Business Bureau gave these tips:

Never send money or buy gift cards to cover taxes or other fees to collect a prize.
Be extremely careful of social media: The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center says about one-third of the complaints it receives about sweepstakes/lottery fraud occur over social media. Many victims are contacted through Facebook.
An important point to remember: If you end up caught by one scam, you could end up in a database used by fraudsters and end up receiving more cold call solicitations.

Scammers also try to find victims with mild cognitive impairment, dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.

READ MORE: USA Today