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Lottery Scam Reply Email:
THE BOARD OF DIRECTOR'S UNION BANK PLC
"DR JOHN ROLLINSON", "the UNION BANK OF NIGERIA PLC"
Have you received an email from "DR JOHN ROLLINSON" at "THE BOARD OF DIRECTOR'S UNION BANK PLC" who appears to be upset that you haven't sent in the fee to collect your prize? Hold on to your money - it is a scam. No legitimate, legal lottery requires winners to pay ANYTHING!
Below is another example of a fake lottery; this email claims to be from the "THE BOARD OF DIRECTOR'S UNION BANK PLC". We have included the scanned images of the actual documents that the scammers mailed to the victim (after blotting out the victim's name and address).
Although the most important clue is that no legitimate lottery will ever email a winner, there are many other signs that this is a fraud. We have highlighted some of these in the email below, not the least of which are:
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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.
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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 excessive and random CapItaLiZAtion. They often can't even spell "February" or know that "22th" ought to be "22nd". These scammers usually write at the 3rd grade level. Being non-native English speakers, they also often get first names and surnames (last names reversed), so you will frequently see names like "Mr. SMITH JAMES.", instead of "Mr. James Smith", along with the peculiar usage of periods (full stops) and spaces or the lack thereof. Real lotteries also proofread their emails and look and read more professional.
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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?
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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! It should read: "For our own security, you are advised to keep your winning information confidential until we have finished scamming you!"
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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.
Actual scam email (One example - the scammers constantly change names, dates and addresses!):
Date: Mon, 12 Mar 2007 08:41:53 +0000 (GMT)
From: "UNION BANKPLC" < info_unionbankngplc_transferdept@yahoo.co.uk >
Subject: UPDATE FROM UNION BANK PLC
UNION BANK OF NIGERIA PLC.,
CONTACT US
Union Bank Head office Central Business District
#122 Douglas Road Owerri Imo state Nigeria.
,Direct Line : +234-8050695228or +234-8033009975
EMAIL: info_unionbankngplc_transferdept@yahoo.co.uk
FROM: CLAIMS/VERIFICATION UNIT ON PAYMENT OF FUND.
ATTENTION: John Doe
THE BOARD OF DIRECTOR'S UNION BANK PLC, HUMBLY WISH TO NOTIFY YOU THAT WE HAVE OBSERVED WITH DISMAY THE NON CHALET ATTITUDES OF WINNERS TO COLLECT THEIR MONEY WHICH HAVE BEEN DEPOSITED IN OUR BANK.
CONSEQUENTLY WE WISH TO BRING TO YOUR NOTICE THAT WE ARE GOING TO ENFORCE SECTION 4 PARAGRAPH 3 OF OUR AGREEMENT WHICH STIPULATES THAT MONIES NOT COLLECTED AFTER ONE(1)WEEKS OF NOTIFICATION OF THE WINNER WILL BE DONATED TO CHARITY OR THE PRIZE BACK TO THE AUSTRALIAN LOTTERY AGENCY AS A CASE MAY BE.
THE BOARD OF DIRECTOR'S OF THIS BANK GUARANTEE YOU THAT, AS SOON AS YOU SECURE THIS AFFIDAVIT OF FACT/VERIFICATION FROM THE FEDERAL HIGH COURT OF JUSTICE, YOUR PRIZE MONEY(US$D300.000) WILL GET TO YOU VIA A KEY TRUSTED TELEGRAPHICE WIRE TRANSFER, AS SOON AS YOU FORWARD TO US THE REQUESTED LEGAL DOCUMENT (AFFIDAVIT OF FACTS AND VERIFICATION) WHICH WILL EMPOWER THIS BANK TO MAKE AN INTERNATIONAL MONEY TRANSFER TO AVOID A REVOKE TO OUR BANK LISCENCE BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OF THIS COUNTRY.
WE ARE TRYING TO PROTECT YOU, FROM TRANSFER HITCH FREE BY OUR CENTRAL BANK BEFORE YOUR PRIZE WILL HIT YOUR COUNTRY IN TWO WORKING DAYS.
THEREFORE PROCEED AND SEND THE FEE TO ENABLE US SECURE YOUR DOCUMENTS AND FORWARD SAME TO YOU BEFORE THE TRANSFER OF YOUR PRIZE WITHOUT DELAY, IT IS OUR DUTY TO PROTECT YOUR INTEREST AND OUR DIGINIT TOWARDS OUR REPUTATIONS IN THE WORLD BANK.
NOTE: THE AUSTRALIAN LOTTO PROGRAMME, DEPOSIT YOUR MONEY IN OFFICIAL BANK DRAFT WHICH IS NOT DEDUCTABLE FROM THE MONEY DUE TO THE ORDER GIVEN TO US THAT THE MONEY MUST BE TRANSFERRED IN A COMPLETE FORM.
ANTICIPATING YOUR IMMEDIATE ACTION AND RESPONSE
DIRECTOR UNION BANK
DR JOHN ROLLINSON
(+234-8033009975)
(Co ordinator on fund remmittance and international Transfer)
Names of Scam / Fake / Fraud Lottery
Click here for the huge list of the names of the currently identified lottery scams companies
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