You receive a notice in the mail advising you that you are a major winner in a lottery. You have won millions of dollars. To claim your prize winnings, you must first remit a contest fee to cover the processing and any taxes.  Sound familiar?  If you make the mistake of sending this fee, you will never see that money again or your supposed winnings.

Deceptive mailouts and foreign lottery scams have been circulating for years. Individuals, especially seniors, are still responding to these fraudulent mailings. They may believe that sending $20 isn’t much money but scam artists are collecting thousands, sometimes millions, of dollars from innocent people in this manner.  The following tips will help consumers to protect themselves from becoming victims of mail fraud.

RECOGNIZE IT

• Do not pay up front for any prize. A legitimate prize offering will never require you to pay anything.
• If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
• Be suspicious of free gifts where a registration or administrative fee is required or where a salesperson may be invited to your home.
• Be careful if an offering requests that you send them personal information.
• Don’t respond to a company you have never heard of.
• Do not fill out surveys or questionnaires asking questions about gambling, puzzles or sweepstakes. You are being asked these questions for a reason.
• If the promises refer to guaranteed winnings in large print, the practice still may be deemed to be misleading and therefore, against the law.

REPORT IT

• Report such incidents, even if the amount of money involved is small. Law enforcement agencies cannot investigate and determine if an offence has taken place unless consumers report these crimes.
• Report suspicious mailings to PhoneBusters, a Canadian anti-fraud call centre,  and your local Better Business Bureau.
• Register a complaint with Consumer Protection BC, even if there is a disclaimer on the flyer. Putting a disclaimer on the announcement may not protect the business from charges of misleading or unconscionable practices. Consumer Protection BC has expertise in administering consumer protection legislation, including using progressive enforcement tools to protect consumers, and may be able to help.

If you think you have received a deceptive mailout, don’t respond to it.  If you do, you could be added to a “sucker list” and your name will be resold. If you believe you have received a request for a donation from a legitimate charity, check them out on the Charities Directorate website. Remember to never send a check made out to an individual; always use the agency’s name.

For more information about Consumer Protection BC, please call 1-888-564-9963, toll free, or visit www.consumerprotectionbc.ca.