It so happened that the Internet is full of active sites created exclusively to deceive visitors. Their purpose can be completely different - luring the means, user data, gaining access to some values from the visitor, etc. The essence of the action of each such site is the same - to lure people, “slip” the form to fill in or the program to install, and in the end force to do what is needed.
FreeLotto Lottery - a typical scam
In order to see the site for deceiving visitors in action, you do not need to go far. Now, unfortunately, there are a lot of such resources. They operate not only in English, but also in Russian and other languages. The most striking example is FreeLotto.com - a site with supposedly free lottery, in which everyone can participate. The resource, obviously, is actively advertised in various ways - mainly spam mailings, banner ads, teasers.
Lottery without deposit
The resource in question positions itself as a free lottery in which any user who has reached a certain age (18 years) can participate. They also write on FreeLotto that this is a win-win lottery. Indeed, everything is logical: if you have the opportunity to win something without investing, then you really can not lose anything. Obviously, the developers of the service are betting on this.
In addition to such slogans, the site as a whole is made in a style that hints at a possible big win: heaps of zeros, dollar signs, photos of people who have already allegedly become millionaires. Obviously, the majority of users do not think about whether this is true or not, because they want to quickly start the game and try their luck. Moreover, you don’t need to pay anything!
Play Online - Win Millions of Dollars
On the website www.FreeLotto.com you can see the playing field - such as used in lotteries. The person’s task is to make a bet (mark those squares that, in his opinion, should win in the future). After that, a draw is made, and the system randomly selects the winner. Anyone who matches all the numbers can win a million dollars. You can get such a fabulous amount on the card in the form of a payment from FreeLotto (what kind of payment should it be for the appearance of such an amount of money to pass successfully in your bank - it is even difficult to imagine hypothetically). However, this is exactly what is indicated on the site in terms of the resource.
FreeLotto really pays
How about FreeLotto.com reviews say, the service really pays. Yes, yes, from the developers of the resource, judging by some comments of those who have already tried their luck and made bets, some users really receive money. The amounts there are small, in fact, up to $ 1. They fall on the card of those who won something. True, most often the size of the prize is $ 0.18 or a little more.
Another thing is the conditions under which such money comes. Yes, the millions won at www.FreeLotto.com are not talked about. Either the lucky ones sign a non-disclosure paper, or they immediately drop the Internet and go into real life entirely. Well, in extreme cases, these simply do not exist.
Cheating scheme
In fact, the FreeLotto lottery is a scam, which can never be waged. Yes, users really get some kind of trifle. True, before that they have written off larger amounts. At least that was stated in the comments on the service. For example, some reviews about the activities of FreeLotto.com noted that funds of $ 19-20 were withdrawn from a person’s card. It is noteworthy that this money is debited several times, so if your bank card is not cleared on time, you will lose your funds gradually.
How do they do this, you ask? Yes Easy! A trusting user gives his own data. This, in fact, is the key to the work of the entire FreeLotto service (that this is a scam, you can rest assured, do not even try to outwit someone).
Access to user personal data
The lottery site is actually used to collect the personal data of everyone who pecks at this bait. After you make a forecast on the main page (in the field where you choose which numbers you would like to put), www.FreeLotto.com redirects to a section with several fields. Here, you will be required to provide data such as first name, last name, address. This information is supposedly required by developers in order to send you your money in case of a win.
Of course, FreeLotto (what kind of scam would it be if it had not been connected with financial fraud?) Is not limited to your address. Then you will be redirected to the page where they are asked to fill in the credit card information. In addition to its number, they also specify the validity period and the CVV code - such information, which is quite enough to make payments from your card. Actually, those who invented such as FreeLotto.com, a divorce, start a little later. In the meantime, at this stage, everything is “beautiful” and looks pretty decent.
Why would anyone need my details?
A gullible user will ask, so what, who needs my data and my card? We will give an answer to these questions. So, information about your bank card, as you might guess by yourself, will be required to withdraw your money by scammers. This is done very simply - funds can be withdrawn in various ways, including third-party online stores and paid services. It is extremely difficult to prove that the operation was carried out illegally, because, according to the rules, no one should know your card details.
As for the information about where you live and what your name is, it can then either be sold to a spam mailing company, or used independently. Do not be surprised later if offers are received in the mail to accept the inheritance and send $ 200 for notarial services in advance (and in such letters, for greater credibility, your address and name will probably be).
What can not be done?
How not to fall into the clutches of scammers? Very simple - do not provide them with information about yourself and especially about your bank card. For them, this is the main task, what the scam is ultimately aimed at. By providing information such as FreeLotto (what kind of data this is - it doesn’t matter, the main thing is the fact that the scam system will work, that people will continue to be “kept”), and you will facilitate the functioning of such scammers.
It is strictly forbidden to provide any information about your card. If you really believe that someone will be happy to send you a million just like that, you can create an empty card for the experiment, block it for deletion (so that fraudsters do not drive it into minus, if this opportunity is available) and indicate its number. So you at least make sure that FreeLotto is a divorce.
How to return the money?
Suppose you are already a victim of scammers and want to return the withdrawn funds. Obviously, only the issuing bank of your card can help you with the return of funds. Again, you can clarify information about how much was withdrawn from the card, talk about FreeLotto.com, what kind of site you believed in, and so on. The result, most likely, will be one - they will tell you that nothing can be done. The fact is that in such cases when the user himself reveals the data of his card, the opportunity to return the data does not apply. Indeed, in fact, the cardholder himself violates the rules by telling someone information about it.
Should I fight for my rights?
Is there any way to assert my rights in some other way? Well, formally, of course, such a probability always exists. You may try to contact your local police station. There, your application will be recorded, they will begin to install details about FreeLotto.com (what kind of resource, where and for whom the domain is registered, where the project administration is located). All this information is available, everyone can learn it within a couple of minutes. The problem is different - the people who lure your funds are located somewhere in New York. Tell me, how can our police influence them?
Another method is to try to block a resource using tools on the network. For example, you can write to the domain registrar www.FreeLotto.com and complain about the actions of the site. Again, creating its own “lottery”, the administration probably took this moment into account and registered the domain with a company that does not respond to complaints (for example, some provider from the Philippines). Now there are special bulletproof hosting and domains (the so-called “armored” services that hackers and scammers can work without punishment). Given that FreeLotto is a high-income divorce, it’s obvious that owners can afford it. So it may well be that such a way of protecting your interests will prove to be ineffective for you.
How to protect yourself?
The easiest way to protect yourself from this kind of fraud is to prevent it, avoid it and simply ignore it. Criminals spend money on advertising their projects, so if there are no visitors, the project will be scaled down as soon as possible. True, unfortunately, there are still too many gullible people in the world, so such sites will work for a very long time.
Always look at the situation through the eyes of the opposite side. Think for yourself: would a win-win lottery work in modern conditions? How and who could provide its functionality, given that the winnings from it pay, but there are no revenues? Who could be such a philanthropist to just give out a ton of money? Agree, it looks like nonsense. Then why is so many people trusting the FreeLotto website?
The problem of most of those who fell for this and other scam is that people really want a "freebie." Everyone wants to start earning "without effort and investment" (it is these characteristics that are often used for other types of fraud); everyone wants to get around work and get money just like that by sending information about themselves or by writing numbers and other data of their credit cards to someone. Only, of course, as a result of this all the same, you will not earn money, but the one to whom this data will ultimately get.
Think before you take any action. Even if the resource seems absolutely honest and transparent, has a good design and offers very “sweet” conditions - always doubt its real intentions. It is not profitable for anyone to create sites that distribute profits left and right - this would lead to the bankruptcy of anyone.
The most reliable way to deal with scammers such as the site mentioned in this article is through reputation and its verification. Yes, every project, even on the Internet, has its own history, some kind of “glory” among people. They know, write about him, discuss and comment on him. Your task (in order to find out its real nature) is to find these records, read them, remember how the administration of the resource behaved with other visitors like you.
And, of course, if you yourself have become a victim of fraud - tell us about it. Other people, in order not to fall for a bait, are also required to know the truth. This is the only way the Internet can be cleaned of scammers. You can also completely deprive them of their profit if everyone is extremely careful on the network.
As for FreeLotto, this is a very powerful resource, given that it was launched back in 1999. It is possible that he has already “brought” his creators more than one year (the reviews indicated that some criminal group was the project’s administrators). Obviously, over time, lottery incomes became less, they learned about it in the world and even began to avoid it. However, this certainly did not block that trickle of income, due to which scammers live. We hope someday this will definitely happen.