While waiting at the teller window at the bank today, I overhead a rather depressing exchange between a couple of bank tellers and a customer standing at the next window.
It all started with me hearing the customer saying something along the lines of, "But you don't understand, they promised they'll send me 3.5 million dollars!" Best I could tell, the bank customer had fallen for one of the schemes where you are promised some sort of large prize money, but you first need to send the awarding company "insurance" money to cover the transaction. This guy had already sent the people $500 and was trying to send more money to ensure he received his millions in prize money.
Fortunately, the bank tellers were very sympathetic and were doing their best to advise the guy to not send any more money and close out his bank account because the scammers most likely now had his bank account information. I hope the guy listens to their advice.
And for anyone else who might actually think when they win a prize they need to first send some money to receive it, it's a scam! And the same goes for some foreign national trying to launder millions of dollars in cash. That's a scam, too.
I didn't think people actually fell for these scams, but apparently they do.