You're the lucky winner ... lottery scams New Jersey - - "Congratulations! Your name was attached to a ticket that was recently drawn - winning $315,000!" Sound familiar? Scam operators are using the telephone, e-mail and direct mail to entice New Jersey consumers to participate in high-stakes foreign lotteries. Solicitations are coming from as far away as Australia, Spain, Germany and Canada. The Better Business Bureau of New Jersey reports that consumers are receiving suspicious foreign lottery solicitations advising winners to send money orders for hundreds of dollars; notifications of cash awards from international security firms or disbursement offices that demand payment up-front to cover entry, judging or postage fees; and phone calls from people claiming to be representatives of reputable retailers, who want to "reward" loyal customers with special gift certifications or cash cards, after payment of a delivery fee. In another scenario, the winner will receive a counterfeit cashier's check for the first lottery "winnings." Before the bank has determined that the check is bogus, the victim has already wired money to enter the second lottery. The victim loses out on both ends of the deal. Everyone wants to be a winner, but the BBB cautions consumers not to allow enticing dollar signs to obstruct common sense. If you receive a phone call, letter, or e-mail announcing that you have won a sweepstakes, a lottery or prize award, remember these tips: Are you being directed to wire money, provide access to your bank account or credit card numbers, or forward any personal financial information in order to claim your sweepstakes or lottery winnings? This is an attempt to steal your money or identity, by a person masquerading as a sweepstakes or lottery official. Legitimate sweepstakes companies do not require you to pay taxes, customs fees, shipping or handling, or any other fee before awarding your winnings. And, they are prohibited by U.S. law from requiring that you buy something to enter a sweepstakes contest or to receive sweepstakes mailings. Did you ever actually enter the company's sweepstakes? Chances are, you did not! Read the fine print on any sweepstakes offer or entry form that you receive in the mail. Usually it says something to the effect that you win, if your number is selected or if your number is one of the winning numbers. You have not yet won anything! Do not be deceived by seals, official-sounding names, or terms that imply affiliation with or endorsement by a government entity, here or abroad. It is illegal for a promoter to misrepresent an affiliation with a government organization or other well-known organization. If you have truly won a prize, whether it is a cash card, gift certificate or product, there should be no redemption fees, postage fees, delivery fees, or other conditional rules to comply with in order to receive your prize. Responding to just one foreign lottery ticket or one fraudulent sweepstakes notice or one prize award solicitation can open the door to many more bogus offers. Ignore all such offers. Playing a foreign lottery through the mail, over the phone or Internet generally violates federal law. If you receive what looks like lottery material from a foreign country, turn it over to your local postmaster. File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission. If you receive a call from someone claiming to be a representative of the government trying to arrange for you to collect supposed sweepstakes winnings, file a complaint at www.ftc.gov.