Have you received an email from "Mr Van Clapton" at "Net Lotto Promotions, International Lottery Programs" telling you that "your
email address won in the second category" or something similar, and to
contact "PACIFIC INSURANCE UK" to collect your winnings? It is a
scam. Lotteries don't give money away to people who don't buy tickets -
not even as a "promotion". That's just dumb; it would not motivate anyone
to BUY a ticket! 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 "Net Lotto Promotions, International Lottery Programs".
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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.
-
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.
-
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!"
-
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.
Net Lotto Promotions
International Lottery Programs
(Customer Services)
Ref: Ng/9420X2/68
Batch: 074/05/ZY369
WINNING NOTIFICATION
Dear Winner,
NOTIFICATION OF YOUR WINNING
We happily announce to you the draw (#952) of the Net Lottery Promo,
online program held on 1st March 2007.Your e-mail address attached to ticket
number: 56475600545 188 with Serial number 5368/02 drew the lucky numbers:
02-19-28-33-44-49 (bonus no.21), which subsequently won you the lottery
JACKPOT category i.e match 6. You have therefore been approved to claim a
total sum of $900,000.00 (Nine Hundred Thousand United States Dollars) in
cash credited to file KTU/9023118308/03. This is from a total cash prize of
$3.600,000.00 shared amongst four (4) lucky winners in this category.
All participants for the online version were selected randomly from World
Wide Web sites through Ballot draw system and extracted from over 100,000
unions, associations, and corporate bodies that are listed online. This
promotion takes place yearly.
Note that 10% of your claim will go to the victims of the December 2005
Tsunami Victims. In view of this, your $900,000.00 (Nine Hundred Thousand
United States Dollars) would be released to you by our authorized official
paying bank or Insurance company. as they will immediately commence the
process to facilitate the release of your funds as soon as you contact them.
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 fit to claim your prize. This is part of our
precautionary measure to avoid double claiming and unwarranted abuse of this
program.
To file for your claims. please contact Our Official Paying Insurance
company below.
PACIFIC INSURANCE UK.
Emails: pacific_insurance07@yahoo.co.uk
Email The Insurance company for them to send you Payment Processing form
which you will fill and return back to them.
Note: All claims must be made before one month of receipt of this
Notification.
Mr Van Clapton
Net lotto Netherlands International Lottery Promotions
APPROVED
Good luck & congratulation,
Net lotto Netherlands International Lottery Promotions.
