BHC warns of job scams

27 January 2011 06:22 am

The British High Commission (BHC) in Colombo has advised persons to be aware of sham job offers and lottery winnings, through a press release issued by them earlier today.

“The numbers of lottery and job scams worldwide appear to be on the increase.  The sad truth is that many people are being cheated with job offers and lotteries that do not exist. Statistics show almost three million people fall victim to scams annually, losing an average of £850 each, and sometimes a great deal more. Moreover, being taken in by a scam can be very distressing,” the release reads.

The BHC in Colombo has received a number of inquiries from people in Sri Lanka and the Maldives about lottery winnings and job offers received via e-mails or otherwise, supposedly from the UK.

“These lottery and job e-mail scams arrive unsolicited in mailboxes and promise good things. The reality is that while many scams may appear to come from the UK, the criminals operating them are actually based in other countries,” according to the release.

All genuine UK lotteries are registered and have websites. UK lotteries cannot be played by individuals overseas, even if they are UK citizens. The UK Government, including UK Trade and Investment, does not send unsolicited emails with job offers – either directly or through agents.