Phony lotteries have long been a staple of scammers and the Olympics have already given scammers an opportunity to scam people through emails that appear to come from legitimate companies, such as Coca Cola that are also advertisers at the Olympics.  The phony emails look very real.  Unfortunately it takes little forgery talent to make an email communication look like it is a legitimate communication from a legitimate company.  The phony emails are telling unsuspecting victims that they have won lotteries tied to the Olympic games as promotions by the companies.  Then comes the hook.  The scammer posing as the legitimate company asks you to wire them processing fees, transfer charges or tax payments for a prize you will never receive.

TIPS

You can’t win a contest that you never enter.  Legitimate companies do not require processing fees or transfer charges and income taxes are either deducted from your prize or you pay them directly to the IRS.  If you have the slightest thought that the contest might be real, contact the real company at a telephone number that you know is accurate to inquire.