Coinstar Fraud Alert – How to Know

Coinstar Fraud Alert

Scammers are constantly changing their tactics in an effort to con victims out of their money. Here’s how the latest scam works: An acquaintance, whose Facebook account was most likely hacked, sends you a Facebook message claiming he had just won a lottery and that you, too, won the same lottery.

You are instructed to contact a specific “attorney” to claim the prize money.

The “attorney” tells you that in order to receive your winnings, you need to pay a $450 delivery fee. (I know, you’ve heard about this scam.

Keep reading for the new twist on the old scam.) The “attorney” tells you to withdraw $450 in cash from your bank account, deposit the money into a Coinstar kiosk, then convert the balance to crypto-currency via “CoinMe.”

ALSO SEE: Nordstrom Fraud Alert

The “attorney” instructs you to send them photos of the crypto-currency receipt, along with additional personal identifying information so that the winnings could be sent to you.

As soon as you send a photo of your crypto-currency receipt, your money is gone. Not only are you out $450, but you also are conned into giving up your personal identifying information, so you are probably going to become a victim of identity theft.

Please always take a moment to think before sending money to someone you don’t know or providing anyone with your personal identifying information.

If you did not enter a lottery, then there is no way you can win a lottery. If someone is requiring you to pay taxes or fees in order to claim a prize, then it is most likely a scam.

If you do not initiate contact, such as to your bank, and the person you are communicating with asks for your personal identifying information, it is a scam.