If I walked up to you and said, "Great news!  You just won an Oscar!", you would no doubt give me a funny look, and either wait for a punchline or wait for me to figure out I have the wrong person.  You wouldn't take me seriously for a second.

Do you know why?  You aren't an actor, or a member of the academy, you haven't been in a film and you have never been nominated.

Same if I told you that you had won the U.S. Open or the Tour de France.  You can't be the winner because you didn't participate.  Simple common sense.

So why are so many of you contacting the Trouble Shooters here at News 4 WOAI... asking whether that letter or e-mail you just received, congratulating you for winning an over-seas lottery or sweepstakes, is legitimate?

These scams are absolutely overloading the internet and the postal system right now.  Why?  Because they are working!  People are falling for it!  The government just confiscated thousands of bogus checks that were being sent out to people across the country as lures in these ridiculous scams.

There are many variations, but basically the scheme goes like this:  the letter claims you have won a huge amount of money, say $2 million, and it comes with what looks like a check for a much smaller amount, usually around $5,000.

The letter says the $5,000 has been deducted from your winnings to pay for taxes and entry fees, and all you have to do is deposit the 5K into your bank account, then send them back a smaller amount, like $2,500 to cover those taxes and fees, and once they receive that from you, they can release your $2 million prize.

Of course, people who follow those instructions find out a few days later that the bogus $5,000 check has bounced, but the check they sent back to the scammers for taxes and fees has been cashed and is gone forever.  The $2 million dollar prize never existed.

First off, doesn't it seem the least bit odd that an organization with $2 million to give away would need you to dish out some money up front first?

And isn't it a bit backward to send you a check, have you run it through your account, then send a check back to them?

But as I pointed out, the biggest red flag of all is the simple fact that YOU DIDN'T ENTER ANYTHING!  HOW CAN YOU BE A WINNER?

Still, the lure of coming into sudden, unexpected riches is so strong, normally intelligent, critical thinking people find themselves thinking, "Maybe this is legit.  Maybe I was entered into a sweepstakes automatically when I bought something, and I just don't remember.  Maybe they did just go through the phone book and select my name at random...".

Sure... and maybe I'll pick up an Oscar next year for Best Supporting Actress.