You have won the National Lottery of Nigeria, 5.1 million dollars is yours. All we need is for you to send a check for $10,000 for the processing of your award. This was an excerpt from a recent email I received.
You're right; I jumped right on that one. Wrong, believe me, if I thought this was legitimate, I would have completed the transaction so fast it would have made my neighbor's rug fly off his head. However, it is just a farce, a figment of the imagination.
Sadly enough there are people that fall for these scams on a daily basis. The idea of winning that much money, puts all rationale out in the yard with the chickens.
Some people lose all sense of reality by seeing the Million dollar word in the body of the email. As a retired police officer, I have seen way too many unsuspecting people become the intended target of money grabbing scams much like this one.
Heed my words. If something appears to be too good to be true it is.There are just as many scams out there as there is as many zeroes in our national debt. They come in all shapes and sizes, and from all over the globe and they are targeted at you. The average unassuming law abiding citizen.
It breaks my heart to hear of an elderly person losing their entire savings to a scam such as this. They worked and sacrificed their entire life to build a nest egg to give them a simple life in retirement.
I recently spoke with a member of my own church that had fallen victim to a "send me the money to get money" scam. I tried intently to dissuade him from being duped, but he would not listen. He is a true Christian gentleman that thought that someone would never take advantage of him.
If you are reading this and have received an email or letter that says that you have won money or were left money in a will. If they say that you need to send them some of your hard earned money in order to receive your award or inheritance, please call your local police department. They will be glad to send someone to your home or office to check the matter out for you. It may turn out to be legit but at least you will know for sure.
The police would rather you waste a few minutes of their time, rather than lose your savings. Do not feel embarrassed to call, and if you feel too uncomfortable to call the police then call a family member, friend, pastor, or other trusted person.
Sadly enough there are people in the world that have no conscious and will take your life savings without batting an eyelash. Don't fall victim to these criminals. Be vigilant and guard your money like your life depends upon it. Because it may just be so.
There are many free resources on the internet, that will explain all of the common scams out there. Use those references to equip yourself.
Arm yourself against those trying to take advantage of you. I will be doing a series on this and other popular scams in the coming days, and as always, go out and find someone tell them that you love them, and that God does also. Good day and God bless.
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