Report reaching us in 2024 indicate that scammers are impersonating Lerynne West, the 2018 Iowa Powerball Jackpot Winner. The scam takes various formats; via text messages, email, and even on sponsored social media posts. This article reveals how the scam works, and tips on how to spot lottery donation scams.
What is The Lerynne West Scam?
It’s a lottery donation scam by fraudsters impersonating the Iowa Winner of $343.9 million Powerball jackpot. The scammers often claim the recipient has been randomly selected to receive donation from Lerynne West. ”I’m Lerynne West the Iowa Powerball winner! You have been picked among lucky winners those getting $50,000 from my giveaway program going on. Are you ready to claim your winning?”
Getting a donation from a lottery winner might seem like a dream come true for lots of people, and this is why many people end up being victims of this scam.
How The Lerynne West Scam Lottery Donation Works
The lottery donation scam uses text message, email or social media (Facebook & Instagram) to target unsuspecting victims. Once people text the number listed on the giveaway text, they’d be contacted by scammers, who’d convince them that they won the $500,000 donation. After that, they’d be asked to pay for ‘processing fee’ or paperworks.
The scammer would claim the payments must be done in cryptocurrency, in order to evade tax levies.
You know what happens when you make a crypto transaction right? It’s untraceable. You can’t track the person at the other end or make a complaint. This is why scammers always chose crypto.
Tips on How To Avoid Donation Beneficiary Scam
Emails and text messages are common vehicles for donation beneficiary scams. In order to avoid being a victim here’s what to do:
- Kindly ignore any messages, voice mails or emails that seem too good to be true
- Offers of free money are too good to be true and are likely scams
- Search online to see if there are reports or proofs backing a suspicious call or text
- Never click on a link from an unknown or unsolicited sender. This includes links received in text messages and emails.
- Legitimate Donations don’t ask for money – Don’t pay a fee to collect winnings or a prize
- Never give out your passwords, crypto wallet keys, or other sensitive information. This applies online as well as over the phone.
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Nora
I just received this in my text messages not more than 5 minutes ago the same scam thank you for posting this to make everybody aware of this scam to take other people’s money.