Sweepstakes scam designed to relieve you of your cash

If you get a call from someone claiming to be a government official telling you you're a sweepstakes winner, don't fall for it.

It's a twist on an age-old scam designed to relieve you of your money by persuading you to pay handling charges, taxes or some other fee to collect prizes or winnings that don't exist.

In a new spin, the con artists pretend to be representatives of a government agency, such as the Federal Trade Commission, or a fictitious but official sounding agency such as the "National Sweepstakes Bureau" or "National Consumer Protection Agency."

To help make the sham look convincing, the scammers use Internet technology to produce a fake phone number that pops up on the consumer's caller I.D. to make it appear the call is originating from the Washington, D.C., area code.

Con artists are always looking for a new angle to snare more unsuspecting victims, said Nat Wood, assistant director in the FTC's bureau of consumer protection, which issued an alert this week warning consumers not to get duped.

The biggest tip-off that the call is from a thief is that legitimate sweepstakes don't require people to pay "insurance," "taxes" or "shipping and handling charges" to collect their prizes, the FTC said in its alert.

"They tell consumers that the only thing that separates them from their 'winnings' is a fee to cover the taxes or service charges. But as all too many consumers know, the winnings as described never materialize," the FTC said.

Scammers pressure people to wire money through commercial money transfer companies such as Western Union because wiring money is the same as sending cash, the agency said.

Likewise, do not send a check or money order by overnight delivery or courier. "Con artists recommend these services so they can get your money before you realize you've been cheated," the FTC said.

The agency recommends curtailing your telemarketing calls by signing up for the national Do Not Call Registry. To register, visit www.donotcall.gov or call 1-888-382-1222 from the phone number you wish to register.

Getting on the registry won't stop fraudulent calls, but if you are on the list and get a marketing call it's a red flag that the call is not legitimate, Wood said. (Certain telemarketing calls are exempt from the registry, such as calls from charities, political groups and pollsters.)

If you receive a suspicious call, file a complaint at www.ftc.gov or by calling 1-877-382-4357

Complaints should include the date and time of the suspicious call and the name or phone number of the party that called you.

E-mail Patricia Sabatini at psabatini(at)post-gazette.com

(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)