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How to spot a scam a mile away

TIPS: There are a number of similar scams doing the rounds

One of these is a counterfeit cheque scam, this time in the guise of the Australian Lottery Corporation.

The scam uses counterfeit cheques to try and convince people that they have won a large lottery prize.

A letter from the "Australian Lottery Corporation" states that you have won $750000 (about R5,2million) in a lottery, but first you must pay charges for "taxes and insurance".

A cheque for $4880 is enclosed, made payable to you and drawn at a reputable American bank. This is supposed to be a portion of your winnings equivalent to the taxes and insurance, which is being advanced to you so that you can, in turn, use it to pay the charges to them.

The cheque is, of course, counterfeit, but sometimes it is sufficiently convincing to make its way through the banking system without question until it reaches the originating bank, which will realise that it is a fake. That can take time.

If your bank has allowed you to draw on the cheque, the $4880 you have already repaid to the fraudsters who have now collected the cash and disappeared will be reclaimed from your bank account.

You cannot win a lottery unless you have entered.

Legitimate lotteries do not ask you to pay taxes, customs fees, insurance, shipping or any other fee before receiving your winnings.

Additional information was sourced from www.stirling.gov.uk.

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