Fri Sep 03 2010
by Mike Sever
Record-Courier staff writer
There's a new e-mail lottery scam brought to you by those inventive folk in Lagos, Nigeria. And this one uses the Federal Bureau of Investigation to win credibility.
James Masters of Ravenna said he opened the e-mail "just because it was from the FBI."
When he did, he found a letter purportedly from a "John Miller, public affairs director" for the FBI. The letter states Masters has won $800,000 in a lottery and has to pay only $370 for "deposit fees" for the winnings to be processed.
The letter goes on to encourage the "winner" to contact "Samuel Oliver, lottery agent in charge," in Lagos, Nigeria.
The e-mail carries an official-looking FBI seal and address but is just a variation on the time-worn Nigerian letter scam that tries to convince people they will get something for nearly nothing. Masters said he decided to bring the e-mail letter to the attention of others because it looked so official.
"Other people might see the FBI logo and address and not realize" it's a scam, he said.
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