Scam Alert: Pepsi, my eye

THE SCAM: Pepsi lottery

HOW IT WORKS: Soda companies aren't immune from being connected with the infamous foreign lottery scam, as seen in the example of a current con that uses Pepsi's name. Recipients of the scam e-mail are told that they've won a lottery sponsored by Pepsi and need to call a phone number to collect. Curiously, the amount won is in pounds, not dollars, and the phone number to contact is overseas, which seems odd for a company based in the United States. Unsuspecting victims who call the number are instructed to give their bank account numbers or other personal information, and then are told to wire "fees and taxes" associated with the lottery winnings to the person they called.

WHAT'S AT STAKE: Your money, your identity or both

HOW TO BEAT IT: Pepsi isn't running a lottery as described in the e-mail, and even if it was, it seems unlikely that it would use representatives in other countries to run it. These are warning signs of a scam, so take heed and delete the e-mail without a response.

For past Scam Alerts, go to www.modbee.com/business/scam.