Dear Annie:

In the past month, I have received three e-mails from different people asking me to send a deposit, after which they will forward a winning lottery ticket to me. In exchange for cashing it for them, I will get a portion of the money.

I know these are scams, but I'm sure there are a few people who might fall for them. What do I do with these e-mails?－Palmdale, Calif.

Dear Palmdale:

Most such scams involve people claiming to be Nigerian officials or surviving spouses of former government officials, who very politely offer to give you money if you will help them transfer funds out of the country. You are then asked to provide your bank account number and some money to cover legal and transaction fees. You may even be encouraged to travel to Nigeria or a border country to complete the transaction. Sometimes, the con artists will produce fake money to verify their claims.

People who have responded have been beaten, subjected to threats and extortion, and in some cases, murdered. And, of course, there is a stream of excuses why there was never any transfer of funds to your account. If you receive e-mail from someone claiming to need your help getting money out of another country, do not respond.

 

scam  (n.)   诈骗；欺骗

deposit  (n.)   存款；汇款

lottery ticket   彩券；彩票

a portion of   一部份；一些

to fall for   受骗；遭愚弄

politely  (adv.)   有礼貌地；客气地

con artist   诈骗者；罪犯

to verify  (v.)   证实；作证

extortion  (n.)   勒索；敲竹槓