The Wholesale Forums

[canada]

Received this email today

From: "British Lottery International" <britishlotterypromos009@msn.com>
Subject: CONGRATULATIONS!!! YOU HAVE WON
Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2006 10:05:33 +0100
British Lottery International
Headquarters: 60 Merriman Road
Blackheath London SE3 8RZ
England.
Ref. Number: BTL/491OXI/04
Batch Number: 12/25/0304
Ticket Number: 564 75600545-188
Serial Number: 5388/02

Dear Sir/Madam,
We are pleased to inform you of the result of the Winners in our British International Lottery Program held on the 30th of January, 2006.
Your e-mail address attached to ticket number 564 75600545-188 with serial number 5388/02 drew lucky numbers 7-14-18-31-45, which consequently won in the 2ND category, you have therefore been approved for a lump sum pay out of USD2,500,000 (Two Million, five hundred thousand dollars).

CONGRATULATIONS!
Due to mix up of some numbers and names, we ask that you keep your winning information confidential until your claims have been fully processed and your money remitted to you. This is part of our security protocol to avoid multiple claims and unwarranted abuse of this program by some participants. All participants were selected through a computer ballot system drawn from over 20,000 company and 30,000,000 individual email addresses and names from all over the world. This promotional program takes place every five years.
This lottery was promoted and sponsored by a conglomerate of some multinational companies in Europe as part of their social responsibility to the citizens in the communities where they have operational base. We hope with part of your winnings you will take part in our next year Ten million Euros international lottery. To file for your claim, please contact our director of finance.

Dr. Teddy Baker
Email: customercare_britlot@excite.com

Please note in order to avoid unnecessary delays and complications, remember to quote your reference number and batch numbers in all correspondence. Furthermore should there be any change of address do inform our agent as soon as possible. Congratulations once more from our members of staff and thank you for being part of our promotional program.
Note: Anybody under the age of 18 is automatically disqualified.

Yours Sincerely,
Mr. Ferry Paulson

British Lottery International (co-coordinator)
N.B: Any breach of confidentiality on the part of the winners will result to disqualification. Please do not reply to this mail. Contact our director of finance.

[Anthony]

From: "British Lottery International" <britishlotterypromos009@msn.com>

First line says it all..

[Emerald]

So whats the deal here...whats the next step in their scam once you contact them? Why not reply and act innocent for a bit just to play them. Ask them how you won cause you dont remember buying a ticket!

Just curious to know what they will come up with...probably no harm to contact msn also and report them, not that anything will happen apart for the acc been closed.

[Titchimp]

Originally Posted by Emerald

So whats the deal here...whats the next step in their scam once you contact them? Why not reply and act innocent for a bit just to play them. Ask them how you won cause you dont remember buying a ticket!

Just curious to know what they will come up with...probably no harm to contact msn also and report them, not that anything will happen apart for the acc been closed.

i think the normal deal is something along the lines of "Send us £500 as a deposit on your winnings so we know you are the real winner" or something like that and then they run off witht he money

[walshy69]

yeh probably! Just another poor attempt!

[canada]

Update on how the Scam works!

What are prize and lottery scams?

These are notifications that advise people that they have won a prize (often for a competition they didn't even enter).

The notification could arrive through the mail, by email or from an unsolicited telephone call.
How to spot a prize or lottery scam

If the prize or lottery notification has any of the following elements, we strongly suggest you do not respond to it:

The information advises that you have won a prize - but you did not enter any competition run by the prize promoters.

The mail may be personally addressed to you but it has been posted using bulk mail - thousands of others around the world may have received the exact same notification.

The prize promoters ask for a fee (for administration or "processing") to be paid in advance.

Other schemes pretend to be legitimate lotteries, or offer you the opportunity to buy shares in a fund that purports to purchase tickets in legitimate overseas lotteries.

The scheme offers bait prizes that, if they are real, are often substandard, over-priced, or falsely represented. Or, as part of the prize you can purchase "exclusive items" which may also be over-priced or substandard.

To get your prize might require travel overseas at your own cost to receive it.

"Spanish" and "Dutch" lottery letters and emails

These letters, faxes and emails advise consumers of a major win in a recent draw of overseas lottery. Most are allegedly located in Spain or the Netherlands although there are also versions referring to lotteries in the United Kingdom, South Africa and Australia.

The El Gordo Spanish Sweepstake Lottery (and variations on this name) is the most common version sent by mail.

The letters operate as an advanced fee fraud. The lottery winnings do not exist.
What happens if I reply to the letter ?

If you contact the lottery operator, you will be asked to provide details of bank accounts and confirmation of your identity. Once interest is shown in collecting winnings, the lottery operators will ask for money in advance to pay costs relating to administration, foreign currency charges or security. This request should send alarm bells ringing as legitimate lotteries do not ask for funds in advance of payout - their operating costs are not deducted from individual prizes.
What to do if you receive a letter

Remember the following rules if you receive a notification of prize winnings so you won't be caught out:

* You can't win a prize in a lottery you haven't bought or been given a ticket for.
* Legitimate lotteries don't ask for funds in advance of paying out prize money.
* Never provide personal identity information to a company or person you do not know.

Scott

[tantk]

Canada, play along and amuse yourself ... LOL. These people think everyone's a sucker.