Q: Help! I’m afraid I’m being scammed. How do I know?

The most prevalent scam in Jamaica targeting American citizens is the lottery scam, where scammers lead victims to believe they have won a drawing or lottery, but the cash or prizes will not be released without upfront payment of fees or taxes. You might receive a call, letter, or e-mail, or someone might say they are ‘doing you a service.’ They will say you must respond ‘immediately’, or you will lose the money. Scammers frequently target the elderly or those with disposable income. They often seem angry and threaten to report you to the ‘government’.

In general, if it is too good to be true, it is not true.

Do NOT believe that you have won a lottery you never entered. Do NOT believe any offers (lottery, prize, or inheritance) that require a fee to be paid up front. Do NOT provide personal or financial information to individuals or businesses you don’t know. Do NOT send any money to someone you have not met in person. Do NOT attempt to recover funds personally or travel to Jamaica to transfer money.

Other scams include people defrauded by Internet contacts they thought were their friends or loved ones. These schemes include online dating services, inheritance notices, visa assistance offers, work permits/job offers, bank overpayments, and even requests to ‘help’ a friend in ‘trouble’.

In many cases, scammers spend weeks or months building a relationship. Once they have gained their victim’s trust, the scammers create a false situation and ask for money.

Q: How do I recognise a scam?

Before you send money to anyone, check to see if you recognise any of the following signs:

• You only know your friend or fiancé online and may never have met in person.

• Photographs of the scammer show a very attractive person and appear to have been taken by a professional.

• The scammer’s luck is incredibly bad – they are in a car crash, or arrested, or mugged, or beaten, or hospitalised and have no family to help.

• You have sent money for visas or plane tickets, but they can’t seem to make it to the destination.

Q: If I have been scammed, what do I do now?

If you think you have been a victim of a lottery or other scam, speak up and stop sending money. Scammers are difficult to stop because most victims do not report the incident. American citizens should report the matter immediately to the United States Federal Trade Commission at www.ftc.gov/ and also the Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov. You can also inform the US Embassy in Kingston at KingstonACS@state.gov and contact the local police. Stop all communication with the scammers – if their calls do not stop, attempt to block their calls or consider changing your phone number.

Q: What are the consequences for those caught engaging in lottery scamming?

Law enforcement authorities in Jamaica and United States regularly collaborate to identify and apprehend individuals engaging in lottery scamming, and will seek legal prosecution of perpetrators. Their efforts are not just limited to the actual scammers but extend to anyone whose activities facilitate the movement of ill-gotten gains. Simply opening up a bank account or post office box through which to route illegal proceeds is sufficient to constitute complicity in these activities. Besides legal prosecution, the visas of those engaged in scamming are subject to revocation.

You can find more information on our website, www.jm.usembassy.gov or by visiting www.travel.state.gov. Keep on top of Embassy news on our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/USEmbassyJamaica/ and by following @USEmbassyJA on Twitter. We also answer general visa questions on our Facebook and Twitter pages.