Paris police warn of scam costing citizens thousand of dollars

Are you really the lucky winner? Spot the prize scams. 

The Paris Police Department is warning locals of a prize scam that is costing citizens thousands of dollars.

Sweepstakes, prize, and lottery frauds are among the top scams people report to the FTC.

These scams usually start with a call or message that says you’re a winner. (A lie). They say to get the so-called prize, you have to send money or click somewhere to give your information. Don’t.

The most recent FTC data shows people reported losing $301 million to this type of fraud. That’s an average loss of $907 per person.

But legitimate contests and prizes that follow the law and give real prizes. So how do you know the difference?

One question to consider is: did you enter the sweepstakes or play the lottery? If not, you absolutely didn’t win.

And here are other ways to spot and avoid prize scams:

• Don’t pay to get a prize. Real prizes are free. Anyone who asks you to pay a fee for “taxes,” “shipping and handling charges,” or “processing fees” to get your prize, is a scammer. Stop and walk away.
• Don’t give your financial information. There is absolutely no reason to ever give your bank account or credit card number to claim a prize. If anyone asks for it, it’s a scam.
• Don’t give your personal information. Scammers hope you’ll click on links that will take your personal information or download malware on your device. Delete the message without clicking on the links and don’t respond.