You Have NOT Won
Who among us has not daydreamed about what we'd do if we won the lottery? Pay off the mortgage, provide for our family, splurge just a little, try to help others. It's a delicious fantasy, isn't it? No wonder then, that when the magic day arrives and it appears we truly are a winner, euphoria can cloud our judgment and lead to make decisions that can make us a victim.

Let me be real blunt here. I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but if you receive an email, phone call, or letter advising you that you have won a lottery or sweepstakes, the simple truth is that it is most likely a scam and falling for it could have disastrous financial consequences. We know. We receive emails every week from people just like you who have wanted badly to believe their dream of winning has come true and have found themselves instead in the middle of a nightmare from which there is no easy escape. Please, please don't let yourself become one of them.

Why would anyone tell you that you've won something when you really haven't? Not because they want to give YOU money. These rip-off artists want what you already have and they're ready and willing to lie and cheat to steal from you.

The permutations change daily. Sometimes they wheedle your bank account information out of you, ostensibly to wire you the funds. Then, instead of sending you money, they create counterfeit checks on your account or send through bogus paper drafts or even ACH debits. Other times, they convince you to send them money they say is needed for taxes or fees. Kiss that money goodbye! Most commonly, they send what looks like a cashier's check for an amount greater than you have "won" and tell you to wire the overage back to them, or send the excess amount back in a cashier's check once your deposit has cleared.

Exacerbating the problem is the fact that banks in the U.S. are required to provide funds availability within certain timeframes, depending upon the type of deposit and type of account. If a "cashier's check," for example, is deposited in person by the payee to an account held by the payee at the bank, the bank is supposed to provide next-day availability on the funds. The fact that the customer is able to access and use the funds at that point, however, doesn't mean the deposited item was legitimate or good -- and as with every deposit, if the deposited item ends being bad (it's written on a closed account, or the drawer of the check doesn't have sufficient funds, or the item is altered or counterfeit), the amount of the item will be charged back to the person who deposited it. If you're the one who received the scam check, that means YOU! Already spent the money, since you thought the check was good? You'll have to come up with the money from somewhere to repay your bank. You are legally responsible in that manner for every item you deposit. If it's not good, you don't get to keep the money. The bank doesn't "guarantee" your deposit -- you do.

The next time you receive something that appears to indicate you're about to receive a windfall, view it as a declaration of war against you by a fraudster. That's his opening shot. Don't get financially gunned down as an easy target for a lazy creep whose mission in life is to steal from hard-working people who are just trying to get by in a tough world. If you avoid falling prey to the scam artist, that's when you really become a winner!