Have you received an email from "Miss Gilmore Gluck" at "British Sweepstake Lottery Program" telling you that "your
email address won in the second category" or something similar, and to
contact "Dr. Garrison Lutuka" to collect your winnings? It is a
scam. What would a British Sweepstakes (if there were one) have to do with a
South Africa event? Why is a person with a PhD ("DR.) working as a "claims
manager"? And No legitimate, legal lottery notifies winners via email (see footnote) The scammers may
change the names and details, but it is still a scam!
Below is another example of a fake lottery; this email claims to
be from the "British Sweepstake Lottery Program".
-
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 excessive and random CapItaLiZAtion.
They often can't even spell "hundred" 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.
-
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 sweepstakes and lotteries THRIVE on
publicity - they don't want you to keep anything secret - the publicity
causes people to enter or buy more of their products. 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!"
-
Require the winner to pay - U.S. federal law
prohibits sweepstakes from charging you for anything, not "delivery",
couriers, taxes, fees, handling charges, or anything else!
British Sweepstake Lottery Headquarters:
Customer Service
28 Tanfield Road,
Croydon.London
Ref: EAASL/941OpI/02
Batch: 12/35/0038
CONGRATULATIONS THE LUCkY WINNER :
We happily announce to you the draw of the British Sweepstake Lottery
International programs held on the 4th March 2007
in London for 2010 South
African World Cup Surpport. Your e-mail address attached to ticket number:
564 75600545 188 with Serial number 5388/02 drew the lucky numbers:
31-6-26-13-35-7,which subsequently won you the lottery in the 2nd
category. You are therefore, been approved to claim a total sum of 420,000.00
( four hundred and twenty thousand british pounds ) in cash.
This is from a total cash prize of 125 Million pounds shared amongst the
first Fifty (50) lucky winners in this category. This year Lottery Program
Jackpot is the largest ever for British Lottery. The estimated 125 million
jackpot would be the sixth-biggest in U.K. history. The biggest was the 363
million jackpot that went to two winners in a May 2000 drawing of The Big
Game, Mega Millions' predecessor.
Please note that your lucky winning number falls within our European
booklet representative office in Europe as indicated in our play coupon. In
view of this, your 420,000.00 (Four hundered and twenty thousand british
pounds ) would be released to you by our paying bank
Our agent will immediately commence the process to facilitate the release
of your funds to you as soon as you make contact with him All participants
were selected randomly from World Wide Website through computer draw system
and extracted from over 100,000 companies. This promotion takes place
annually. 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
fita to claim your prize.
This is a part of our precautionary measure to avoid double claiming and
unwarranted abuse of this program by some unscrupulous elements. Please be
warned. To file for your claim, Please contact our fiduciary Agent with the
below details for processing of your claims.
AGENT IN SOUTH AFRICA:
Dr. Garrison Lutuka
Claim Manager
British Sweepstake Lottery Promotion
South Africa branch.
Email: garrison_lutuka1@yahoo.co.uk
To avoid unnecessary delays and complications, please quote your
reference/batch numbers,
Full Names:
Contact Address:
Phone Number:
Fax Number:
Occupation:
Nationality:
Age:
In any correspondences with us or our designated agent. Congratulations
once more from all our members and staffs of this program. Thank you for
being part of our promotional lottery program.
Sincerely,
Miss Gilmore Gluck
Office Coordinator
British Sweepstake Lottery Program
HEAD QUARTER, LONDON.
Four years from now the eyes of the world with be on South Africa where
the World Cup will be played on African soil for the first time. Today, the
logo for South Africa 2010 was revealed. The image above is one that you
will become very familiar with in the next four years. Where does it rank in
the history of World Cup logos? You can decide for yourself by checking out
the logos dating back to first one in 1966 when apparently clip art was
first invented
* Re: emails of winnings. We know of only ONE exception in the world to this rule
- and if you bought a ticket from them, you would know it, and would not be
questioning it.
