It all started when I received a letter in the mail, postmarked from Canada. In it was a certificate notifying me that I had won the "Royal Foundation Lotto" which was drawn in England. The letter told me that I was going to receive a winnings of over $12,000.

What tipped me off to it being a scam in the first place was the fact that there was a check enclosed, drawn off a construction business in South Carolina. But the drawing was supposedly done in England, and mailed from Canada. The instructions told me to cash the $2998.50 check and send it back to their certified agent in Canada, in order to pay the processing fee.

Duh, scam.

So, I promptly called the FBI and they referred me to Homeland Security. I spoke with them for about a half hour as they took a report.

Now, here is what they told me:

This is a common scam. It originates in Nigeria. They said that I would be surprised at how many people fall for the scam.

After you call the "Agent" to get instructions on how to cash the check (a counterfeit) and send them a money order, they try to get your bank account number, social security number or driver's license. That way, they steal your identity. If you deposit the check, they get it back and have your account number.

Once you send them the money from the fraudulent check and they steal your identity, they ruin your credit and name, and soon afterward, you are pursued by police for cashing a counterfeit check and for racketeering, because it is illegal for anyone in the US to enter a foreign lottery.

Now, they say that the Nigerian scams are particularly dangerous, because the perpetrators have been known to threaten you to comply with their extortion- but even if I gave them my bank account information, they would be sorely disappointed in what they found because they are messing with a poor man.

Regardless, make sure you are very careful with the kinds of scams they are attempting. Just remember, nothing is free. Be careful with similar scams by email. In fact, the FBI says that they do this same type of scam by email, and once you open the email, they embed Trojan horses or spy-ware and have your IP address. From there, they can start chipping away at your identity.

If you get any such letter, please do the following. Call 1-888-495-8501 and report it. DO NOT CASH THE CHECK THEY SEND. Also, you can find a LOT of good information on potential scams and how to spot them if you get a similar type of mailing. Remember, they come in many, many forms. A good resource is...http://www.fraudaid.com/ScamSpam/Lottery/index.htm