Foreign Lotteries Scams

Foreign lottery scams have been circulating through online and offline for years, but they are mushrooming now -- and there are a couple of new, dangerous twists to the old gimmicks.

The original foreign lottery scams simply proclaim that you are a major winner in a so and so foreign lottery contest.We have compiled a list of several reliable online lottery fighting scam agencies to help you keep up to date on current and past Foreign lottery scam alert and its types.

The higher they offer the rate of lottery, the greater the risk is, and moreover you should not respond to these emails.

1. Your email id had won so and so million dollars.
2. Your phone number had won lucky prize.
3. In order to collect your money email your personal details to us.
4. You may even get a message claiming that you've already won! You just have to pay little shipping money to collect your winnings prize.
5. Also these scammers will ask you to pay "taxes", "customs duties," or fees and then keep any money you send.
6. Avail this offer just only for you.

Have you received an official-looking letter saying you won a foreign lottery? Responding to it can be tempting: After all, maybe there's a possibility that you won some money that could turn your dreams into reality! But victims beware. There is yet another way scammers have adopted in the name of lottery winning schemes.

Foreign lottery scam is yet another type of fraud that is adopted by scammers in order to lure the innocent public and cheat them. It starts with an unexpected phone call, or text message or even a post, explaining that you have been lucky to have won a huge lump sum amount of money in an unexpected foreign lottery. Often the scammers advise the victims to keep this as a secret so that there is no conflict that arises with other members and numbers. The scammer then starts to swindle money from the innocent recipient in the name of "processing fee" and taxes. All the innocent users who fall prey and believe to such lottery schemes, often end up paying the amount to the scammers in the hope of winning a lottery which is absolutely fake. Such foreign lottery scams are on the rise and web users are advised to beware of such scams.

• Never agree to pay or wire any amount to anyone in order to win a lottery. Legitimate wins do not ask you to pay anything.

• If any lottery winning scheme appears to be legitimate, it is always advisable to contact the consumer protection agency. They can help you differentiate between genuine lottery wining schemes and scam schemes.

• Phone calls and messages that begin with the number 190 are charged at a premium rate and should be carefully dealt with.

• It is always safe to verify the identity of the company by calling the relevant organization directly.

• Do an internet search using the names or exact wording of the letter/email to check for any references to a scam ? many scams can be identified this way.

• Do not respond to any scam mails, scammers will use a personal touch to play on your emotions to get what they want.

• Never send money or give credit card, online account details, or copies of important personal documents to any company that offers you lottery winning schemes.

?  If you play a foreign lottery ? through the mail or over the telephone ? you are violating federal law.

?  Eventually, you may be told you won a large cash prize, but you need to pay the foreign taxes and fees upfront?in cash.

?  There are no secret systems for winning foreign lotteries. Your chances of winning, more than the cost of your tickets, are slim to none.

?  If you purchase one foreign lottery ticket, expect many more bogus offers for lottery or investment "opportunities." Your name will be placed on "sucker lists" that fraudulent telemarketers buy and sell.

?  Keep your credit card and bank account numbers to yourself. Scam artists often ask for them during an unsolicited sales pitch.

?  You are not the only lucky one winning lump sum amount in foreign lottery. There are many others sailing in the same boat as you.

?  No company will ask for money to be wired in order to complete the lottery winning process.

Below mentioned are some of the common Lottery organization names that scammers use in order to lure the local public in the name of foreign lottery winning schemes.

?   The UK National Lottery,

?   European or International Lottery,

?   Canadian Lottery,

?   Toyota or BMW Lottery,,

?   Royal Heritage Mega Jackpot Lottery, or

?   Yahoo/MSN Lottery Incorporation.

The scammers send mails and messages to the victims saying they operate in the name of the above mentioned companies and convince them saying they have been the lucky ones who have won the foreign lottery scam. They even send fake checks in order to make the victims believe and once they attain the confidence, they ask the victims to pay money in order to complete the lottery money transfer process. By the time the victim realizes that he is losing money, it is too late and the scammers have already let out money from the victims.

Examples of Foreign Lottery Scam :

Below mentioned is the screen shot of the man who was subject to foreign lottery scam. Lee Willaims, an 81 year old retired man from aurora was one among the senior citizen's, who became a victim of foreign lottery scam. It was noted that the scamming company managed to make the old man believe that he had won a million dollar lottery for years. In the name of winning million dollars, the old man was asked to pay nearly half a million dollar from his own pocket.

The below mentioned screenshot is a sample of how a foreign lottery scam email would look like.

Statistics showing the financial losses reported by the victims who encountered financial losses in foreign lottery scam. The data reveals that, 39,9% very female victims who were subject to lottery scams where as 34.6% were male victims.

The U.S. Postal Service and the AARP have teamed up to warn people about a foreign lottery scam by sending out mailers like this.

Foreign lottery scams come from dozens of countries, but many of them originate in Jamaica and are aimed at older, home-bound victims.

Shell Centre Waterloo SE1 7NA Great Britain
TEL: + (44) 7937434161
FAX NUMBER: +447010054508
EMAIL: shelloilprize@cash4u.com

Dear winner,
Attention Beneficiary,
This is to inform you, that your Email has won you a prize of ?500,000.00 GBP (five Hundred Thousand Great British pounds only. Your Email Address were selected through a computer balloting system drawn from Nine hundred thousand emails from worldwide emails as part of our international promotions which is conducted annually, we have only six selected winners, which their email id are active online to be paid, and you are one of the Selected Winners.
MAKE SURE YOU SEND YOUR DETAILS TO THIS EMAIL shelloilprize@cash4u.com TO ENABLE US RESPOND TO YOU ON TIME

1 Name:
2 Addresses:
3. Country/State:
4. Mobile No:
5. Age:
6. Sex:
7. Occupation:
8. Language:
9. Email:
10. Your Full Name:
11. Your Bank Name:
12. Account Number:
13. Bank Address:

Note: Our claiming agent is only authorized to release your fund upon satisfactory Verification and approval by the board members. Also, according to our Promotion Code of Conduct, Section 13.7, page 09, paragraph 05, prize will be cancelled and withdrawn if not claimed on or before 60 days, from the date of this notification, and thereafter all funds will be returned to the UK Ministry of Finance as unclaimed. Please quote your reference number in all your correspondence and should there be any change in your contact addresses, do not fail to notify our agent immediately.
Complete the above form and submit it to the prize administrator/claiming agent,

Mr. Peter Voser,
Email; shelloilprize@cash4u.com
Telephone;+447895361598
Fax number; +44-7010054508)

The Shell Oil international awareness promotional staffs congratulates you for your success.

Best regards,
Mrs., Clara Shaw

We are providing the Spam Checker Tool for your convenience. Here your can enter the email or the contact number that you suspect to be a scam. This tool checks it with our spam database list and ensure your regarding the email or the phone number is real one or the bogus.

Report scam to United States government-you could file a complaint about scam or other crime here.