In this third and
concluding part of article on Internet Lottery
scam - we have presented a checklist to help you
detect bogus offer and how these fraudsters cheated
thousands of people in USA, Europe and India.
You will find the Indian Internet lottery scam
not only different but highly innovative !
How to Detect A Bogus Lottery
Offer
- Did you buy the lottery ticket or entered
in a contest ? If not and you still receive
'winning notification' - it must be a hoax.
- The mails look very professional with liberal
citing of authentic looking numbers - reference
number, serial number, agent number, tel number,
fax number, batch number etc.
- The email gives you a reference number to
quote and a phone number to call. The supposedly
unique reference number is in fact often identical
in every email sent !
- There is always a 'mix-up of numbers' and
you are advised to keep 'winning information
confidential until your claims has been processed
and money remitted'
- As con artists are e-mailing 'winning notifications'
in thousands or millions - the confidentiality
clause makes sure you do not hear same story
from your friends and get suspicious
- In a legitimate contest you never have to
pay taxes up front. Income taxes are either
deducted at source or you claim winnings while
filing your tax return
- There is never a processing fee to claim
a legitimate prize.
- It should never cost anything to enter a
contest - with the exception of lottery tickets
sold by state approved dealers.
- Research done on this suggests that the perpetrators
are the same people who carry out the "Nigerian
Scam" (please see previous issues for details).
Like Nigerian scam, you will be asked for your
bank account details and/or an advance fee to
facilitate the transfer. Either way you are
likely to be ripped off.
Internet Lottery Fraud in Various Countries
BBC News (May 9' 2002)
Lottery scam tricks Britons - 500 people have
complained in the UK
By Philippa Busby
BBC Radio Five Live
Hundreds of people in the UK have been conned
out of thousands of pounds after falling victim
to a telephone fraud based in Canada, an investigation
by BBC Radio Five Live has found.
The Canadian fraudsters telephone British residents
telling them they have been entered into the Canadian
National Lottery for free.
A few weeks later they call back to tell the
person they have won a huge prize, often in the
region of £175,000.
They then demand several thousand pounds to pay
for the tax on the winnings.
In some cases victims have lost more than £40,000.
The cash is sent but the prize does not exist.
(Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/1977396.stm)
ABC - New York
Foreign Lottery Scam Leaves Winners High And
Dry, And Broke
(New York-WABC, March 18, 2002)
You would think winning the lottery would be
a good thing, but if your winning ticket is from
a certain Canadian lottery, think again. The 'game'
targets the elderly, and then makes them pay up...
Source: http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/news/7onYourSide/WABC_7side_031802telemarketing.html
The Indian Scene
The lottery fraud surfaced in India in a truly
innovative form - perhaps the first Indian cyber
crime .
Kola Venkata Krishna Mohan is a compulsive gambler
who played cards regularly at high stakes in various
clubs in the coastal city of Vijayawada.
During one of his gambling binge, he lost as
much as Rs 30 million in 1998.
He was on the look-out to make good the losses
by hook or crook. During a visit to London, he
learnt about the Euro lottery and staked some
money on it in vain.
Then a bright idea crossed his mind - he invented
the story that he had won the lottery. He created
a website and an email address on the Internet
with the address 'eurolottery@usa.net.' His web-site
named him as the beneficiary of the 12.5 million
pound Euro-lottery
A Telugu newspaper in Hyderabad received an email
that a Telugu had won the Euro lottery. The website
address was given for verification. The newspaper
sent the query and got the "confirmation"
since Kola Mohan had himself created and manipulated
the website.
The Telugu daily published the story and other
newspapers and the media in general followed suit.
Nobody tried to verify the claim at the genuine
address of Euro-lottery.
Taken for a ride by his claim, people made a
beeline to Krishna Mohan for deposits, partnerships,
donations etc. He became a celebrity overnight
and began leading a luxurious life. He purchased
a posh house and cars. He was provided gunmen
by the police for his security.
Mohan collected millions of rupees from several
individuals and financiers at four to nine per
cent interest per month. Some nationalised banks
also lent him money in a bid to attract the Euro
deposit. He used this money to pay interest to
some creditors to retain their confidence. To
repay one loan, he took another.
However, the fraud came to light when a cheque
discounted by him with the Andhra Bank for Rs
1.73 million bounced. Mohan had pledged with Andhra
Bank the copy of a bond certificate purportedly
issued by Midland Bank, Sheffields, London stating
that a term deposit of 12.5 million was held in
his name.
After the cheque bounced, Andhra Bank authorities
verified the authenticity of the bond certificate
with the Midland Bank. They were shocked to learn
that the bond certificate was fake. Thereupon,
on November 25, the Andhra Bank Eluru Road branch
officials lodged a complaint with Governorpet
police station against Mohan for "cheating
and forgery." The police registered a case
against him under sections 420, 468 and 471 of
the Indian Penal Code.
In the meantime, Chief Minister N Chandrababu
Naidu also ordered the Crime Branch-Criminal Investigation
Department of the state police to probe into the
antecedents of Mohan who had joined the Telugu
Desam Party in May that year and even donated
one million rupees to the NTR Memorial Trust set
up by the TDP.
Mohan claimed that the manager of a London-based
company had collaborated with him in realising
his plans to defraud people. The police confiscated
a laptop from his possession and also seized some
incriminating documents.
(Source: http://www.rediff.com/news/1999/nov/30ap1.htm)
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