I Won The Lottery! Or, Maybe Not

I must be the luckiest person alive. In the past three days I found out I won 1.5 Million Euros in the UK lottery, One Million Euros in the Winx International Lottery, 1.5 Million Euros in the 2007 E-Mail Lottery, and 500,000 Pounds in an e-mail lottery held by the Coca Cola Company. Wow! What did I do to receive all these riches?

The sad truth is there are actually people who fall for these schemes. For the promise of a quick buck (or million Euros as the case may be) people will turn over their bank account numbers, wire money in the hopes of getting more back, or give other information that could lead to identity theft.

These lottery and sweepstakes schemes have gone on long before the internet, with one of the oldest being the phony sweepstakes which required an entrance fee to claim your prize, which amounted to more than the prize was worth. Another variation of that scheme was requiring the potential winner to call a certain number to find out if he or she was a winner. The phone call cost the potential winner a certain amount per minute with an unusually-long wait time on hold. The real winner was the scamming company which made money off the phone calls.

Todays thieves have a wide choice of scam-delivery mechanisms, including in person, the mail, phone and internet. However, the same holds true no matter how the scam is delivered: if it sounds too good to be true, it is.

How Can You Recognize the Lottery or Sweepstakes Scam?

There are certainly legitimate lotteries and sweepstakes offers. Who hasnt bought a state or multi-state lottery ticket from their local lottery retailer? Or, who hasnt seen one of those sweepstakes offered by a recognized company advertising in the coupon section of the Sunday newspaper? You fill out the entry form or reasonable facsimile (usually a 3x5 card) with your name and address and send it off.

Therein is your biggest clue as to whether youre the victim of a scam. In a legitimate lottery or sweepstakes you have bought the ticket or entered your name and address. In a scam lottery or sweepstakes you are notified youve won when you havent even entered or bought a ticket.

In addition, its illegal to use the mail or telephone to play lotteries across borders, whether national or state lines. Any lottery offer involving the purchase of lottery tickets for other state or country lotteries could end up with you being charged with illegal activities.

One ploy used by foreign scammers involving lotteries or sweepstakes is offering you an advance on your winnings. The scam artist will send you a check for part of your winnings. All you have to do is wire them payment for taxes or other official purposes. By the time you find out their check has bounced the money you wired is in their hands. And, because it was wired its harder to trace.

Lottery scammers dont always use e-mail or the phone. Sometimes they do their dirty work in person. A typical scam would go something like this: You are approached in person by someone who claims he or she just won the lottery but isnt eligible to claim it. They offer to split the money with you if you claim the prize. Sounds good, right? Except that before you claim the prize from the lottery retailer you are required to withdraw some money from your account and give it to the ticket holder as a good-faith gesture. By the time you find out youre holding a non-winning lottery ticket, the thief is long-gone with your good-faith money.

In order to protect yourself from these scams, its important to remember the following:

Lotteries

Its illegal to use the mail or telephone to play lotteries across borders.

If you ever receive a phone call, letter or e-mail announcing you just won a lottery, its a scam.

Sweepstakes

Its illegal for a company to require you to pay to win or claim a sweepstakes prize.

Its illegal for a company to suggest that buying something will improve your chances of winning.

Companies cannot ask for money from you for taxes they say you owe on a sweepstakes winning.

Be cautious when entering sweepstakes from displays you see in malls often times these are people just wanting your name and address for a future sweepstakes scam.

Only enter sweepstakes from recognizable companies, and never pay a fee to enter.

Avoiding being the victim of a scam takes a healthy dose of skepticism. If you are ever unsure about the legitimacy of an offer made to you, you can call the National Fraud Information Centers Hotline at 1-800-876-7060.

Shari Hearn is a writer and creator of safetytips411 digital cameras and expecting-baby.net

Latest Mobile Phones To Take Mobile Experience To New Heights

Mobile phones are for exchanging information. It empowers one to communicate without any barrier of where he or she is. One can talk to someone at the other end anytime from anywhere. Earlier only chat and SMS (Short Messaging Service) were possible with mobile phones but at present one is able to do a multifarious works with it. The recent introduction of 3G (Third Generation) technology in mobile phones along with the technological advancement in the sphere of network providing has enabled this.

Though mobile phone handsets have become more advanced it is the technology of service networks which is lagging behind. It is time to make mobile service networks technology move along the same league as that of handsets. In that direction BT, Three, Vodafone, T-Mobile and O2 have been adopting latest technologies.

Combination of the latest technology from the network service providers and latest technology in the sphere of Mobile Phone handsets has given a new mobile experience to customers. In addition to, talking and sending SMS one has been able to make video calls, connect to internet, carry around office documents, video conferencing, shooting photos and videos, downloading and listening music with the new technology.

Every Mobile phone model has low lifecycle. It is not because these models are inferior ones. It is because of the constant changes that go in mobile technology. As with anything else in life, evolution of a process is needed to keep it in tune with the rest of the world. Mobile phone technology is no different thing either. This approach of research and development from the various individuals connected with mobile technology has led us to reach new frontiers in mobile phone usage experience.

Today it is becoming difficult to define which mobile handset is different than the other and in which way. It is becoming more or less similar. Whether it is the capability of these mobile phones to play music, shoot videos or photos, MMS or video calls or internet browsing capability every model has only a thin line of separation.

Mobile phones have enabled us to talk freely without any boundary or bondage. It has enabled us to see who is talking at the other side. We can send new ideas or information through MMS. Mobile phone is becoming more or less of a computer bundled with other accessories such as camera, FM and music player. At present the things that one can do with a mobile phone is on the rise and it certainly would not stop here. The future for mobile phone technology is brighter than ever.

You can order and buy next generation mobile phones easily from online shops like Mobile Phone Shop UK. The online shops give heavy discounts not available elsewhere and you do not need to go physically to buy it. Along with it, you are able to compare different mobile phone models from the comfort of your home.

Buy and order latest mobile phones now and reach out for a new mobile phone experience.

Gregory Gibson is associated with MobilePhoneShopUK. He holds a bachelor's degree in electronics and communication fromIIT,Kharagpur. To know more about Mobile Phone Shop UK, Mobile phone model, Mobile online shop, Mobile accessory, Contract Mobile Phones, Mobile Phone Insurance,Order latest mobile phones please visit mobilephoneshopuk.net