Protect Yourself and Report the Latest Frauds, Scams, Spams, Fakes, Identify Theft Hacks and Hoaxes
There are affiliate links on this page.
Read our disclosure policy to learn more.
Translate this page to any language by choosing a language in the box below.
Have you received an email from "Mrs. Stella Ellis" at the "The British National Lottery" telling you that you won the a prize and to contact "Mr. Maxwell Smith"? It is a scam. This one is a fairly entertaining example of the scam. Below on this page, you will find the original "winning notification email", and on this page, you can see what the scammers do if you reply to it.
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.
Courier / delivery charges are high due to Hardcover insurance Policy - If you respond to them, you will usually receive an email telling you you must pay delivery charges. First, as we mentioned earlier, no winner would ever have to pay delivery charges in a real lottery, sweepstakes or promotion. Secondly, there is no such thing as "hardcover insurance policies" . Go search in Google and see if you can find a definition for it!
Here is a typical scam lottery winning notification.
From: LOTTERY BOARD < infouk@bellsouth.net >
To: < result@lottery.co.uk >
Subject: Dear Winner
Date: Sat, 31 Mar 2007 20:00:53 -0400The British National Lottery
P O Box 1010
3b Olympic Way, Sefton Business Park,
Aintree, Liverpool , L30 1RD
(Customer Services)
Ref: UK/9420X2/68
Batch: 074/05/ZY369
Ticket number:56475600545 188
Lucky Numbers: 05,06,17,20,28,42(Bonus33)
Dear Winner
We wish to congratulate and inform you on the selection of cash prize of £ 1000,000.00 (British Pounds) held on the 25th March 2007 in London Uk.The selection process was carried out through random selection in Our computerized email selection system (ess) from a database of over 250,000 email addresses drawn from which you were selected. And Your e-mail address attached to ticket number:56475600545 188 with Serial number 5368/02 drew the lucky numbers: 05, 06, 17, 20, 28, 42 ( Bonus 33) , which subsequently won you the lottery in the 1st category i.e match 5 plus bonus.
You have therefore been approved to claim a total sum of 1 Million Pounds,(One Million Pounds) in cash credited to file KTU/9023118308/03. This is from a total cash prize of £ 1000,000 Million Pounds , shared amongst the(4)lucky winners in this category i.e Match 6 plus bonus.
For due processing of your winning claim, please contact the FIDUCIARY AGENT Information Officer Mr. Maxwell Smith, who has been assigned to assist you. You are to contact him with the following details for the release of your winnings.
==============================================
Agent Name: Mr. Maxwell Smith,
Tel: +44 704-571-0545
Tel: +44 704-571-0543
Email: mail@britishlotteryclaimsdept01.vossnet.co.uk
==============================================
contact him, please provide him with the following Requirements below:
Claims Requirements:
1.Name in full------------------------------
2.Address----------------------------------
3.Nationality-------------------------------
4.Age----------------------------------------
5.Occupation------------------------------
6.Phone/Fax------------------------------
7.Present Country------------------------
=============================================
If you do not contact your claims agent within 5 working days of this Notification, your winnings would be revoked. Winners are advised to keep their winning details/information from the public to avoid Fraudulent claim (IMPORTANT) pending the prize claim by Winner.
*Winner under the age of 18 are automatically disqualified. *Staff of the British Lottery are not to partake in this Lottery.
Accept my hearty congratulations once again!
Regards
Mrs. Stella Ellis
(Group Coordinator
Note that you are not to reply to this E-mail,please contact your claims officer directly to start the processing of your claims application form.
Click here for the huge list of the names of the currently identified lottery scams companies
***