Protect Yourself and Report the Latest Frauds, Scams, Spams, Fakes, Identify Theft Hacks and Hoaxes
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Have you received an email from "Richard.K Lloyd" at the "UK NATIONAL LOTTERY" telling you that you won the "online Sweepstakes International program" or something similar? It is a scam.
There are only two legal large lotteries in Britain, the National Lottery and the Monday Lottery, anyway, and they do NOT use email to notify winners. Below is a scam email actually received.
DO NOT reply to any emails you receive that claim you have won a lottery that you did not enter. They are frauds. You will lose your money. There is no "free lunch"; don't be foolish and believe a scam! We can not say it any more plainly: YOU WILL NOT BE NOTIFIED BY EMAIL BY ANY LEGITIMATE LOTTERY THAT YOU WON A PRIZE. If you do receive such an email, it IS a fraud, do not reply to it! If you DID reply to one, see this page to find out what happens next!
Other resources:
Also
In the UK, call the hotline at 020 7211 8111 to check or report lottery scams.
There are many other signs that this is a fraud that we have highlighted in the email below, typically including one or more of these:
Email address ballot: There is no such thing as a "computer ballot system" or "computer email draw". No one, not even Microsoft has a database of email addresses of the type or magnitude they suggest.
Terrible spelling, punctuation, syntax and grammar - Scammers apparently don't know how to use spell checkers. We assume they dropped out of school before that class. They use almost random CapItaLiZAtion and often can't even spell "February" or know that "22th" ought to be "22nd". Real lotteries proofread their emails and use people who can write above the 3rd grade level.
Using free email account: The scammer is writing to you from a FREE email account (Yahoo, Hotmail, Excite, AIM, Gmail, etc.). Don't you think a real organization would use its own email, its own domain and website?
Keep Confidential - Real lotteries THRIVE on publicity - they don't want you to keep anything secret - the publicity causes people to buy more tickets. there is NO risk of "double claiming" because they can validate where the ticket numbers were sold. The scammer want you to keep quiet because they don't want the police or ConsumerFraudreporting to hear about them!
Email notification: NO REAL LOTTERY SENDS AN EMAIL TO NOTIFY WINNERS. Period. Full-stop. End of story. There mere fact ALONE that you received an email saying you won a lottery is proof that it is a scam.
Here is a typical scam lottery winning notification.
From: "THUNDERBALL LOTTERY" < uknl_promo16@bellsouth.net >
To: < uknl_promo16@bellsouth.net >
Sent: Wednesday, March 14, 2007 7:48 PM
Subject: CONGRATULATION!!! -YOU HAVE WON £250,000.00 FROM NATIONAL UK LOTTERYThe National Lottery,
35 North Fredrick
Street London.
WD1 12T.
United KingdomRef: UK/9420X2/68
Batch: 074/05/ZY369WINNING NOTIFICATION:
We happily announce to you the draw (#634 ) of the THUNDERBALL WINNING under the UK NATIONAL LOTTERY, online Sweepstakes International program held on Sat 10 Mar 07. Your e-mail address attached to ticket number: 56475600545 188 with Serial number 5368/02 drew the lucky numbers:16=18=19=24=32==05
You have therefore been approved to claim a total sum of £250,000.00 (Two hundred and fifty thousand pounds sterling) in cash credited to file KTU/9023118308/03.
All participants for the online version were selected randomly from World Wide Web sites through computer draw system and extracted from over 100,000 unions, associations, and corporate bodies that are listed online. This promotion takes place weekly.
Please note that your lucky winning number falls within our European booklet representative office in Europe as indicated in your play coupon. In view of this, your £250,000.00 would be released to you by any of our payment offices in Europe.
To file for your claim, please contact our fudiciary agent: Mr. Brender William Email:brender_willys1@yahoo.co.uk or brend_willys1@yahoo.co.uk
Tel: +44-7011-139-492
Fax: +44-8712640204
Provide him with the information below:
1.Name:
2.Address:
3.Marital Status:
4.Occupation:
5.Age:
6.Sex:
7.Nationality:
8.Country Of Residence:
9.Telephone Number:
10.Fax Number:
11.Email Address:
12.Draw Number above:634
NOTE:
You are requested to print out and fill in all the information immediately and send them to us by fax or as e-mail attachment.
Fax: +44-8712640204
For security reasons, you are advised to keep your winning information confidential till your claims is processed and your money remitted to you in whatever manner you deem fit to claim your prize. This is part of our precautionary measure to avoid double claiming and unwarranted abuse of this program. Please be warned.
Goodluck from me and members of staff of the UK NATIONAL LOTTERY.
Yours faithfully,
Richard.K Lloyd.
Online coordinator for UK NATIONAL LOTTERY
Sweepstakes International Program.
© Copyright 1994-2005 The UK National Lottery Inc.
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Click here for the huge list of the names of the currently identified lottery scams companies
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