IT'S THAT TIME OF YEAR WHEN YOU GET ALL KINDS OF NOTICES... TELLING YOU... YOU'VE WON A FOREIGN LOTTERY.
BUT DON'T BUY IT.
A COLORADO SPRINGS WOMAN SAYS... SHE WOULD'VE BEEN BURNED... IF A FAST-THINKING CLERK HADN'T STOPPED HER.
REPORTER BETTY SEXTON SAYS... JUST THIS WEEK, SHE'S HEARD FROM FOUR VIEWERS WHO WERE ALL TOLD THEY HAD WON THOUSANDS IN A FOREIGN LOTTERY.
THEY ALL RECEIVED AN OFFICIAL LOOKING NOTICE... CONGRATULATING THEM AND ASKING THEM TO WIRE MONEY OVERSEAS... TO COVER TAXES AND FEES.
CYNTHIA FROM COLORADO SPRINGS ALMOST FELL FOR IT.
CYNTHIA SAYS, "I AM EMBARRASSED. I AM SO EMBARRASSED... THAT I WAS ROOKED IN... YOU KNOW."
CYNTHIA SAYS SHE RECEIVED THIS LOTTERY NOTICE... AND FAXED BACK HER CONTACT INFORMATION.
SHE SOON HEARD FROM A MAN WHO MADE IT CLEAR... SHE COULDN'T COLLECT HER WINNINGS WITHOUT SENDING HIM $2,990.
SO SHE WENT TO KING SOOPERS AND TRIED TO WIRE THE MONEY... BUT WAS STOPPED BY A SAVVY CLERK.
DONNA DiIORIO IS THE STORE MANAGER.
DONNA SAYS.."RED FLAGS ON THIS WERE VERY STRONG. I MEAN IT WAS GOING TO SPAIN. IT WAS A LARGE AMOUNT, $3,000. AND IT WAS JUST TO AN INDIVIDUAL, IT WASN'T TO A CORPORATION."
JANICE FRIDDLE WITH AARP ELDERWATCH SAYS THIS IS THE TIME OF YEAR SUCH SWEEPSTAKES GET MAILED. SHE SAYS MOST VICTIMS NEVER TELL ANYONE WHAT HAPPENED.
JANICE SAYS, "ONE IN 7 GO REPORTED. THAT MEANS THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE OUT THERE WHO ARE LOSING MONEY THAT WILL NEVER SAY A WORD OUT OF EMBARRASSMENT, SHAME AND SOMETIMES FEAR."
REMEMBER... IF YOU'RE IN THE U.S. YOU CAN'T WIN A FOREIGN LOTTERY... IT'S ILLEGAL.
AND YOU SHOULD NEVER HAVE TO PAY ANYTHING UPFRONT AS A REQUIREMENT TO RETRIEVE YOUR PRIZE.
IF YOU'RE TOLD YOU'VE WON A SWEEPSTAKES... SEND IT TO US FIRST... WE'LL CHECK IT OUT FOR YOU.