How to recognise the unexpected money scam: With this scam, you usually receive an email promising a lot of money for a small upfront fee. The opportunity will likely appear too good to be true, and any money you pay will be gone forever. If you receive an email like this, just ignore it. Do not reply to the email or click any links in the email.
The inheritance scam: In this version of the unexpected money scam, you get an email from someone pretending to be a lawyer or banker, saying that you’ve inherited money. They will tell you that the cash is tied up in red tape, however, and you’ll need to pay an expert to free it up. It may be tempting, but do not reply to the email, or click on any links in the email. Just ignore it and delete it.
The lottery scam: In this scam, you receive an email saying that you’ve won a lottery or competition that you haven’t entered. It will explain that you were entered automatically when you visited a website. You just need to pay an administration fee to collect your money. You should ignore any emails like this. Do not reply to or click on any links in the email either.
The Nigerian prince scam: This famous scam is a story about money that is “trapped” inside a country by political unrest. You receive an email saying that, with some financial help from you, it can be released and you will be generously rewarded. You should not reply to the email or click on any links in the email. Just ignore it, and delete it.
Well done!
You’ve completed the activity on Unexpected money scams and know that they all have a common trick: pay a little bit now for a promise of a big pay-off in the future. You’ve learnt how to quickly identify these types of scams, and that there is a simple way to deal with them: just ignore and delete them.