Syracuse (WSYR-TV) -- All this week we’ve showed you scams that are targeting Central New Yorkers.
On Friday night, NewsChannel 9 looked at scams including realistic looking foreign lottery scams.
Maybe you got a congratulations letter in the mail like Jim Brown. The letter's contents caught Brown’s attention right away.
“We got this letter saying I won the lottery and I’ve had scam sort of letters sent to us before and I thought it had to be, but then there was a check in it,” Brown said.
The check for $3,780 looked authentic and all Brown had to do was deposit the check and wire $1,990 to the UK to cover taxes. Jim did call the number on his prize notification letter. He said the person on the other end of the line was very threatening and very defensive.
“I’m happy I didn’t proceed with it and I’m sad because it wasn’t real and it sounded real,” Brown said.
Peggy Penders from the Better Business Bureau says this type of scam has been around a long time, but some people still fall for it.
For more tips from the BBB,
CLICK HERE.
And remember, if you’ve got a question for our panel of experts, call them at 446-9999. They’ll be here answering your questions until 6:30 p.m. and will be able to help you determine whether or not an email, phone call, text or letter is or isn’t a scam.
