Lottery Scam Email:
HERITAGE LOTTERY FUNDS PROMOTIONS
"MRS HELEN PALMER", "Mr. Edward Pinto"
Have you received an email from "MRS HELEN PALMER" at "HERITAGE LOTTERY FUNDS PROMOTIONS" telling you that "your
email address won in the second category" or something similar, and to
contact "Mr. Edward Pinto" to collect your winnings? Well, "Mrs.
Palmer" is still up to her tricks. This one has been circulating for well over a
year (see this version from
February 2007) and the current version further down this page. It is a
scam. 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 the example of the fake lottery scam claiming to
be from the "HERITAGE LOTTERY FUNDS PROMOTIONS".
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:
-
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.
-
"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!
-
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.
-
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?
-
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.
Here is a typical scam lottery winning notification.
Actual scam email (One example - the scammers constantly change
names, dates and addresses!):
HERITAGE LOTTERY FUNDS PROMOTIONS
7 Holbein Place, London, SW1W 8NR
United Kingdom
FROM: THE DESK OF THE DIRECTOR PROMOTIONS, INTERNATIONAL
PROMOTIONS/PRIZE AWARD DEPARTMENT,
REF: HLF/66-CAW662006
Dear Winner,
We are pleased to announce you as one of the 6 lucky
winners in theHERITAGE LOTTERY FUNDS draw held on the 3rd of December,2007. All
6 winning addresses were randomly selected from a batch of 40,000 international
emails.Your email address emerged alongside 5 others as a 3rd category winner in
this month's draw.
Consequently,you have therefore been approved for a
total pay out of £1,500,000 Pounds( one million five hundred thousand
pounds)only.
Please contact the underlisted claims officer as soon as
possible forthe immediate release of your winnings:
Mr. Edward Pinto,
7 Holbein Place, London, SW1W 8NR
United Kingdom
Email:
hlfclaimofficer@walla.com
Congratulations once again from all members and staff of
this program. Thank you for being part of our promotional lottery programs.
Sincerely,
MRS HELEN PALMER THE DIRECTOR PROMOTIONS,
HERITAGE LOTTERY FUND
If you reply (and sometimes even if you don't) you receive this email next:
Date: Thu, 17 Jan 2008 07:04:03 +0000
From:
your_claim_officer@yahoo.co.uk
Subject: VERIFICATION PROCESS/REQUIRED DETAILS FROM
EDWARD PINTO CLAIM OFFICER
ATTN:<your name>,
This e-mail confirms safe receipt of your e-mail and the
contents therein. I write this communiquι to duly inform you that you have been
assigned a payment of £1,500,000 Pounds( one million five hundred thousand
pounds)only. as one of the winners of our lottery promotions organized in the
United Kingdom under our worldwide promotional program.
The aim of this lottery is to promote world peace and
the globalization of the Internet. Participant (e-mail addresses) of this
lottery promotion were drawn randomly from the Internet, upon which a raffle
draw was conducted and six winners emerged fortuitously. These six lucky winners
have been assigned a lump sum payment of one million five hundred thousand
pounds each.
To facilitate the swift transfer of these funds to you I
have been assigned as your claims officer, I will duly intimate you of all
required modalities that must be formalized towards your funds release.
Subject to your funds release you are required to fill
out the below mentioned FUNDS RELEASE VERIFICATION FORM T11. This will enhance
the verification and subsequent approval of your payment. Be informed that you
have seven days from the day of acceptance of the FUNDS RELEASE VERIFICATION
FORM T11 to procure your winnings, as failure to comply with the above mentioned
directive will result in your winning prize been returned as unclaimed to the
organizers of this sweepstake lottery.
This sweepstake lottery was organized in the UNITED
KINGDOM under all stated rules and regulations guiding the transfer of large
sums of money as instructed by the FINANCE SERVICE AUTHORITY which is the
finance infrastructure set in place by the government of the UNITED KINGDOM to
monitor the cash flow in and out of the country in view of the bomb explosion
that occurred in London. Hence, it has become absolutely imperative that all
winners notarize their winnings in a court of competent jurisdiction here in
London upon which certification will be issued from the fiscal authority of the
UNITED KINGDOM and approval garnered for funds release.
Please note that the Verification process usually takes
between 24-48 hrs, depending on how swiftly you have the filled out form
returned to us. Upon completion of this Verification Process/Screening, we would
contact you with further details on when you shall be receiving your funds in
your nominated bank account
Please have your FUNDS RELEASE VERIFICATION FORM T11
sent in immediately and await further contact from us. Note also that there is a
maximum allowable time by law, for which we can hold these funds here as
unclaimed. Be informed that failure to receive your FUNDS RELEASE VERIFICATION
FORM T11 within 24-48hrs of receipt of this e-mail will result in your payment
being delayed or your funds returned to source. Also make sure that you have a
valid form of identification sent with the FUNDS RELEASE VERIFICATION FORM T11.
You should accompany the FUNDS RELEASE VERIFICATION FORM T11 with either the
information page of your International Passport, Drivers License or your
National ID. Your winning will be conveyed by the method opted in the funds
release verification form upon verification and approval by the fiscal authority
of the UNITED KINGDOM.
FUNDS RELEASE VERIFICATION FORM T11
FIRST NAME
LAST NAME
.
AGE
SEX
COUNTRY
NATIONALITY
OCCUPATION
ADDRESS
...
TELEPHONE NO
.
FAX NO
NEXT OF KIN
Note that your winning will be conveyed to you via bank
transfer Congratulations once more and good luck.
Best wishes
Mr Edward Pinto
Claim officer.
fax number:+448701347233
Tel:+447011140347,+447011140718
CONFIDENTIAL NOTICE: This email message, including any
attachments, is intended only for the use of the intended recipient(s) and may
contain information that is privileged, confidential and prohibited from
unauthorized disclosure under applicable law. If you are not the intended
recipient of this message, any dissemination, distribution or copying of this
message is strictly prohibited. If you received this message in error, please
notify the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.
Copyright © 2004-2008 Heritage Lottery sweepstakes Inc.
All rights reserved. Terms of Service - 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.
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