Avoid Losing Your Identity; Don't Click Through on Fraudulent Emails

The email arrives, and immediately generates excitement. An Olympic promotional committee for the London Games this summer has conducted the drawing. 

"Following the successful bid and approval by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) of London City as the host city for the 2012 Summer Olympics games, Coca Cola as the major sponsor of the summer games (in collaboration with the London 2012 Local Organizing Committee (LOC)) floated this promotional lottery draw with Lottery Canada for the promotion of the upcoming games."

And, amazingly, a couple in Boise was selected as a winner in the drawing.

The promise included a million dollar cache, and the winners entered in a drawing to travel to attend the London games.

"Click here to contact our Pay out/claims agency in London immediately you read this message for quick and urgent re fund."

Coca-Cola is a sponsor of the games, as in previous years, but by clicking the links, scammers may have all they need to make illegal money transactions. 

"With each click, more and more information is requested," says Dale Dixon, CEO for Better Business Bureau serving the Snake River Region. "Soon, they'll have all your information, and your identity."

A separate website has been established to track the scams associated with the London Olympic Games. Currently, there are 118 scams (three of them target the Coke angle) detailed by the site owners. Organizers are worried that individuals are replying to these emails and giving away information that can be used to steal their identity. 

"Scam emails try to persuade the email receiver to submit personal information or to part with money as an up front payment in order to release a prize," 

Here's some tips to remember:

•Be cautious about any unsolicited offers or opportunities offering you the chance to make some easy money, especially from overseas.

•Never give your bank details to anyone unless you know and trust them.

•Be wary of ads from overseas company seeking "UK Representatives" or "Agents" to act on their behalf for a period of time, sometimes to avoid high charges for making payments, or local taxes.

•Even if you have nothing to do with the actual extraction of funds from another person's account, by allowing your account to be used to receive and transfer such funds, you may be acting illegally.

Find Us On