Posted on: Wednesday, August 4, 2004

BUSINESS BRIEFS
Phony lottery scams money

Advertiser Staff

The Better Business Bureau of Hawai'i is warning consumers to watch out for a foreign lottery check scam.

Letters from an entity called International Payout Services inform recipients they've won a prize — in one case, as much as $470,000. Enclosed is a fake check with the name of a Hawai'i bank to help pay for "fees" to claim the money. Recipients are told to call International Payout Services to activate their "account."

They are instructed to deposit the fake check and wire $4,500 to get the winnings. The scam appears to originate from Canada. To report a scam, call the BBB at 536-6956.