Too good to be true?

I'm new to the site so I'm sorry if this is in the wrong place.

Usually I'm good at spotting a scam but this one, I'm not sure what to think of it but it does seem too good to be true so your view on it would be good.


Basically my grandad got a call from something he entered last year. His memory is terrible so he can't remember if he actually entered anything. The woman said that he has been entered into a final draw after entering whatever it was supposedly last year. She told him the draw would take place in a couple of days and they would be in touch if he wins.

A few days later he get a call back saying that he won 3rd place in the draw and that he won £210,000. A lot of money! So alarm bells start ringing and he expects them to ask for bank details to transfer the money...

But no, they say they will send out a cheque with a guy who will require to see identification to confirm they are giving it to the correct person. They then proceed to tell him that they need to get some paperwork sorted to send to the inland revenue so that the money comes tax free. They are supposed to be sending out some information etc and they will be intouch after the weekend when the paperwork is in order.

Now at first I was certain it was a scam but since they haven't asked for bank details, I'm not exactly sure how they could scam him except with perhaps pretending the inland revenue forms aren't finished and ask him to fill in details there but that seems a tad long winded for scamming an old person. If you were going to so much trouble, surely you'd find a better mark who you knew had money.

My grandad can't remember the name of the draw/company but just wondered if it rang any bells with anyone

What do you think of it? We are going to go over the letter with a fine tooth comb and be there when they come with the cheque but just wondered what thoughts you had on it.

Hi lozzzy, welcome to scamwarners.

This sounds very much like a variation of the Jamaican Lottery scam. Here is a news article about it: http://district9news.wordpress.com/2011 ... hone-scam/

Many more can be found by just googling "Jamaican Lottery Scam".

They then proceed to tell him that they need to get some paperwork sorted to send to the inland revenue so that the money comes tax free. They are supposed to be sending out some information etc and they will be intouch after the weekend when the paperwork is in order.

And most likely, that's where the money request is hidden. Those documents will come with a fee, and then some other problems will pop up,...

We have a sticky on Jamaican Lottery Scams here: viewtopic.php?f=12&t=11209

To add to Michael's comments I would also confirm that it sounds very suspicious, especially the Inland Revenue aspect as any liability to pay tax is between your grandad and the Inland Revenue and has nothing to do with the lottery organiser, and if they have a tax liability they have no need to involve your grandad.

My mother is nearly 90 and like people of her age is very trusting, and it's taken a lot of effort to make her understand the need to be cautious, because once these characters find someone elderly that they can target, they'll return with another scam tactic. It's important to protect your relative as it's not only the risk of financial loss, but also the fact becoming the focus of constant scam attempts can be very de-stabilising.

I can't persuade her to use my suggested verbal response over the telephone but I'm content she is much better prepared than she was. Currently she is getting cold calls offering debt management services, as if anyone in their right mind should discuss their finances with a stranger over the phone, but I'm sure it works on some people. Of course my mother laughs at the suggestion that she'd ever get into debt.

It's impossible to say what their focus is at this stage, other than that their aim is likely to be to steal money, and beware that they may try to make your grandad suspicious of you. Tell your grandad to give them no personal information if it's not too late (not even his address), and get them to put it in writing so that you can check it out. If they won't do that - enough said.

They'll be back with new tactics - of that you can be sure.

Thankyou both of you for your input. Thankfully my grandad is pretty clued up and was certain it was a scam too. Seemingly they already have his address as they didn't ask him to give them it to send out a letter.
Will just be very wary of it and make sure he doesn't do anything without our consent.

Welcome Lozzzy,

As others have suggested, it sounds very much like the Jamaican variant of the lottery scam. Ultimately, there will most likely be "taxes" to be paid for the winnings.

While the basic scam is the same, there are a few differences between the Jamaican and the African variations of advance fee lottery scams.

-In the Jamaican variant, the approach is usually by phone, whole the African variants are usually by email/mail.
-Jamaican scammers typically have better English, and don't have the strong accents of African scammers on the phone. This is likely one reason they prefer phone contact.
-While African scammers may work in groups or alone, Jamaican scammers generally work in gangs, and once someone shows signs of falling for the scam, multiple people from the gang will interact with the victim. Jamaican scammers can be highly aggressive and sometimes turn very threatening.
-Jamaican scammers are typically more prepared. While African scammers will often mass-mail random people regardless of characteristics, Jamaican scammers typically use local accomplices to provide detailed lists of people meeting their preferred victim criteria. They often target the elderly and/or people who frequent gambling establishments or enter sweepstakes frequently. They very likely did have his address when they called.