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Lottery Scams: Swiss-Lotto Netherlands
Lottery Scam Email:
Swiss-Lotto Netherlands
"John O Huffman or Mrs. Sarah Van Norris", "Mr. David Barnet or Sandra West"
Have you received an email from "John O Huffman or Mrs. Sarah Van Norris" at "Swiss Lotto Netherlands" telling you
"CONGRATULATIONS!!! YOU HAVE WON 750,000 Euros"
and that "your email address won in the second category" or something similar, and to contact "Mr. David Barnet or Sandra West" to collect your winnings?
And they reassure you with the following statement:
"Fill the form, every thing about is legal and real, beside all we are doing here is being watched and governed by the British Governing Council"
It is a scam. No legitimate, legal lottery notifies winners vian email (see footnote)! The scammers may change the names and details, but it is still a scam!
Below is the example of the fake email scam (the email is the scam, not any persons or companies named in the email) claiming to be from the "Swiss Lottery Organizations".
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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"No tickets were sold": You care to explain where the money comes from? Perhaps the lottery money fairy? Why would a lottery give away money to "email address randomly selected by a computer ballot draw system"? This is CLEARLY nonsense: you MUST, repeat MUST buy a ticket to have a chance of winning any lottery!
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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. Names are usually in all capital letters for some reason known only to these illiterate criminals. 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 it's own email, it's 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!):
From: SWISS LOTTO NETHERLANDS [mailto: swisslottoint@terra.com ]
Sent: Monday, February 08, 2010 9:09 AM
Subject: -- SPAM -- LAST NOTIFICATION SWISS LOTTO NETHERLANDS
SWISS-LOTTO NETHERLANDS
FRANCOSTRAAT 40,
3067DV, LAIDEN.
NETHERLANDS
CONGRATULATIONS!!! YOU HAVE WON 750,000 Euros
You have been awarded the sum of 750,000 Euros in the SWISS-LOTTO Satellite Software email lottery in which e-mail addresses are picked randomly by Software powered by the internet through the worldwide website.
Your email address was amongst those chosen this year for the SWISS-LOTTO Satellite lottery. And this promotional program is proudly sponsored by the SWISS-LOTTO organization.
Your email address attached to Ref number 5, 7, 14, 17, 18, 43 with Serial 10, and consequently won the lottery in the "A" Category. You have therefore been approved the lump sum pay out of 750,000 Euros. Number 1979-12 drew the lucky.
Please note that your lucky winning number falls within our European Booklet representative. In View of this, your winning prize will be released to you by our fiduciary agent located In the Netherlands .Our European agent will immediately commence the process to facilitate the release of your winning funds As soon as you Contact them.
This promotion takes place annually for security reasons, you are advised to keep your winning details confidential till your claims is processed and your winning funds 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 d abuse of this program by some unscrupulous elements.
To file for your claim, please contact our fiduciary agent:
Mr. David Barnet
Email: remmitdebt10@aol.com
Tel: +31-617-275-876
Provide him with the informations as stated below:
(1) Name:
(2) Address:
(3) Marital:
(4) Age:
(5) Sex:
(6) Nationality:
(7) Country of Residence:
(8) Occupation:
(9) Telephone Number:
(10)Fax Number:
(11)Draw Number above:
These details facilitate the due process and the release of winnings to avoid unnecessary delays and complications in the processing of your Winnings. Congratulations once more from all members and staff of this program.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Sarah Van Norris
Online Games Director
SWISS-LOTTO NETHERLANDS
FRANCOSTRAAT 40,
3067DV, LAIDEN.
NETHERLANDS
ww.swisslotto.ch www.swisslotto.ch www.swisslotto.ch www.swisslotto.ch www.swisslotto.ch www.swisslotto.ch
Version 2
SWISS-LOTTO NETHERLANDS
FRANCOSTRAAT
40,
3067DV,LAIDEN.
NETHERLANDS
CONGRATULATIONS!!!.....YOU
HAVE WON 750.000.00 Euros
Attn James,
We are pleased to inform you that your request has been approved by the financial advisory board regarding your option, be also inform that your scan copy of your winning certificate has been attached with letter of guarantee from the ministry van justice Netherland to this email. Kindly open the attached documents for confirmation. NOTE. Your original WINNING CERFITICATE will be posted along with your cheque through the courier service.
You are required to pay the COURIER CHARGES and the necessary charges before your winning cheque can deliver to you by the courier company to your home address stated in our central computer system provided by you as the award winner. If you know that the address is not reliable for you please send an email with the right address and with the attachment of the payment slip for the DHL COURIER CHARGES.
You are required to follow instructions you are to use this courier company for the shipping of your winning cheque to you via DHL Courier.
DHL (3 working days)
Government Administrative Tax: 、250
DHL
Delivery Fees: 、100
TOTAL: 、350
You are to make the above payment via Western Union Money Transfer in the name of our accountant officer below.
Western Union Money Transfer Agent is situated in all states, country and province around the globe and renders services of transferring money World Wide fast and convenient method of money transfer. NOTE: You are to make the payment to the informant below:
RECEIVER
FISRT NAME: Sandra
LAST NAME: West
ADDRESS: Paleisstraat 5, 2514 JA Den Haag.
COUNTRY: NETHERLANDS
REQUIREMENT:
1. Please note that this is the standard procedure for all international winners of the SWISS-LOTTO and endeavor to make available via this email the scanned copy of the western union payment slip or the following details for official references.
Senders Name
Sender's Address
Money transfer control number (MTCN).Do endeavor to read the letter of guarantee from the ministry van justice. This guarantee you that as soon as you make the payment your winning check would be posted to your home address.
Note: that your winning prize is protected by a hardcover insurance policy, which makes it impossible to deduct any amount from your winning prize before remittance will be made to you. This means that the above charges cannot be deducted from your winning prize and hence must be provided by you before your prize is transferred to you. This is in accordance with section 13(1) (n) of the national gambling act as adopted in 1993 and amended on 3RD July 1996 by the constitutional assembly.
This is to protect winners and to avoid misappropriation of funds. Send your response of your opinion within the next 48hrs, because you only have 6 days to claim this cheque and after this period, your cash prize will be deemed to have been forfeited by you and will be reused in the drawings of the next edition of the Lotto.
NOTE: You are advice to keep your winning details confidential to yourself and strictly from public notice in order to avoid double claims.
Congratulations again from all our staffs and thank you for being part of our promotions program. Any breach of confidentiality on the part of the winners will result to disqualification.
Sincerely,
John O Huffman
Tel: +31-643-688-451
Fax: +31-847-499-577
SWISS-LOTTO NETHERLANDS
FRANCOSTRAAT 40,
3067DV,LAIDEN.
NETHERLANDS
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Guidelines
Names of Scam / Fake / Fraud Lottery
Click here for the huge list of the names of the currently identified lottery scams companies
* 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 used their safegaurds.
* 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.