Online users are asked to be aware of Maureen and Stephen Hinckley lottery charity donation scams. The names of the couple, who won $122 million in the Massachusetts State Lottery Powerball jackpot, are being used by scammers in an attempt to trick potential victims into sending money and personal information. The scammers claim their potential victims were randomly selected to receive donations from the lottery winners as part of their charity project. But, Maureen and Stephen Hinckley are not randomly donating money to people around the world.
A Sample of the Maureen and Stephen Hinckley Lottery Donation Scam
From: Maureen Hinckley bell@bell.hu
Sent: Saturday, July 9, 2016 4:07 AM
Subject: Re: donation
my foundation is donating US$550 k to you. For details contact me on Email
Remember, once they (scammers) have received their potential victims’ personal information, they will use the information to trick the potential victims into sending money, which they will claim is for some advance fees, which will cover banking and transfer costs, insurance payments or tax that the potential victims need to pay before they can receive the donated money.
But, if the victims send their money, the scammers will steal it and may continue to trick the victims into sending more money, with the promise of receiving the donated money the scammers claim they would receive. Recipients of the Maureen and Stephen Hinckley lottery charity donation emails are asked not to respond to or follow the instructions in them. They should just delete the email messages instead.
It is important to remember that when someone contacts you, claiming that you have won the lottery or you are the recipient of millions of dollars, and asks you to send money in order to receive your lottery winnings or prizes, it is a SCAM. Legitimate lottery companies will never ask their winners to send money in order to receive their prizes or winnings. And, why would lottery winners who are allegedly donating millions of dollars to you, want you to send a few hundred or thousand dollars for banking and transfer costs, insurance payments or tax? Well, the money that the scammers want the victims to send, which the scammers claim is for taxes, bank transfer cost, insurance or other expenses, is what the scammers will steal. And, the victims on the other hand, will never receive the winnings, prizes or money that they were promised. So, once you are asked to send money in order to receive money, it is a scam.