Online lottery scam costs man $13,480

West Windsor, New Jersey — A Village Grand resident was swindled out of $13,480 in an Internet lotery scam that convinced him he was the winner of a $1 million lottery, according to police.

The victim was lured into the scam, which was perpetrated between May 18 and June 30, when an e-mail from a bogus foreign organization told him that he had won the cash prize, police said. He was instructed to wire money to a bank in Thailand to cover expenses such as “insurance” for the check and “obtaining clearance from the DEA” to send the money to the United States, police said.

After sending the money, the victim did not receive any winnings, and the e-mail address was determined to no longer be valid, police said.

West Windsor Police Lt. Carl Walsh said such cases are not frequent, but the department does receive occasional reports of similar scams from township residents and advised residents to be wary of e-mails that ask for personal information.

”Be very cautious regarding e-mails,” he said. “Anytime you’re offered money, especially a lottery winnings when you haven’t entered a lottery, you should be very suspicious and not open those e-mails.”

The e-mails scams typically originate outside the United States and often prey on senior citizens, he said. The amount of money lost often is significant, he said.

Residents also should be cautious about scam phone calls, he added. A common scam involves the caller saying there is something wrong with the victim’s bank account.

”Don’t assume the caller is a legitimate person,” he said. “You should hang up, call the bank yourself and ask to speak to a supervisor.”

The case is under investigation, police said.

Source: CentralJersey