The Scam: International lottery focusing on your passport
The Targets: Anyone who believes an email that says you've won an international lottery
The Hook: All this glossy, multi-part email
asks for is your "contact address" and a scanned copy of your U.S. Passport photo. Postal inspector Don Obritsch tells me this is probably just a teaser; if you respond, the scammers will come back with a request for further info and/or money.
The Scammers: All perpetrators of international lotteries are scammers, Obritsch says, because int'l lotteries are illegal in this country.
Biggest victim: Not the biggest, but Obritsch worked with a woman recently who lost $3,000 in "administrative fees" she sent to these scammers.
How to avoid being victimized: Know that all international lotteries are scams, because they're all illegal. You can only win by not "playing".
