8 February 2012

Scammers at it again - Vista Odyssey fake lottery

| ThisIsAName
Join the conversation
9
vista odyssey scam

I checked the mail last night to find a mysterious A5 envelope from Malaysia. Half expecting to find white powder, there was merely a brochure and two “scratch tickets” for something called Vista Odyssey.

Not surprisingly, the first ticket revealed a second prize of USD $160,000. “Thank you Thank You” was behind the other ticket.

vista odyssey scam

A quick google found this recent thread

The govt has this to say about the type of scam:

You will usually be asked to pay some fees to release your winnings. Scammers will often say these fees are for insurance costs, government taxes, bank fees or courier charges. The scammers make money by continually collecting these ‘fees’ from you and stalling the payment of your ‘winnings’. You will lose all the money you pay to the scammers.

You may also be asked to provide personal details to ‘prove’ that you are the correct winner and to give your bank account details so the prize can be sent to you. The scammer will use these details to try to misuse your identity and steal any money you have in your bank account.

Sometimes the scammers actually do send a cheque for part of your ‘winnings’ (a few thousand dollars perhaps). This cheque will eventually bounce (be dishonoured) but you may have sent money to the scammers in the meantime.

Have other Rioters gotten this sort of junk lately?

Join the conversation

9
All Comments
  • All Comments
  • Website Comments
LatestOldest

cross said :

My wife thinks I can’t manage money and gullible,wait until she finds out I won $160,000

I applaud your positive thinking in this sea of negativity. Look at all these other people who have thrown away $160000!!

I decided to follow the rabbit down the hole to see how far it goes. 😀 Was quite interesting and I kept them on their toes… I ended up pulling the plug on them yesterday, informing them that I knew that what they were peddling was crap.
I do wonder how many people actually fall for it – and it’s a bit sad to believe that many will. Ironically I did do some investigating, but didn’t dig deep enough at the time. Also sent messages to contacts in some of the ‘partners’ who are listed on the back of their winning ticket (yes, I won $160,000 USD as well.)

I think I will mention this on my next public speaking appointment. 😀 sux to be a scammer sometimes!!!

There’s another scam going around
Got an SMS a few days ago saying I’d won 2 million pounds in the Free Lotto Mobile Promo.

All I need to do is send them my details!

My wife thinks I can’t manage money and gullible,wait until she finds out I won $160,000

Yep, got one last week, and lo and behold on one of my two tickets I won $160,000USD. Went straight in the bin after I had a good laugh.

I checked the mail last night to find a mysterious A5 envelope from Malaysia. Half expecting to find white powder

Have you ordered much white powder from Malaysia?

Have gotten something similar before with my name horribly misspelt. Straight in the yellow bin.

I got one of them the other day and wondered who Vista Odyssey even was as I’ve never heard of them, and where they got my details. Hence i dropped it into the bin with the yellow lid.

And if actual money does enter your bank account expect authorities to come knocking on your door a few weeks later to demand that the fund be returned, as it was from a hacked bank account.

But by then you would have paid the scammers a handsome fee, through Western Union.

Daily Digest

Want the best Canberra news delivered daily? Every day we package the most popular Riotact stories and send them straight to your inbox. Sign-up now for trusted local news that will never be behind a paywall.

By submitting your email address you are agreeing to Region Group's terms and conditions and privacy policy.