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Lottery Scam Email:
Schleswig-Holstein Lotto
"Mr. Stevens Herbert"
Have you received an email from "Schleswig-Holstein Lotto" telling you that "your
email address won in the second category" or something similar, and to
contact "Mr. Stevens Herbert" to collect your winnings? It is a
scam. There is a real "Schleswig-Holstein" lottery, in Germany, but they
certainly would not have offices in London! 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 the example of the fake lottery scam claiming to
be from the "Schleswig-Holstein Lotto".
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!):
Dear
Winner,
This is
to acknowledge receipt of your email.
Schleswig-Holstein Lotto draws was conducted from an exclusive list of
30,000,000 e-mail addresses of individual and corporate bodies
picked by an
advanced automated random computer ballot search from the internet as part of
our international promotions program which we conduct every year. No tickets
were sold.
After this
automated computer ballot, your e-mail address attached to ticket number 6239771
drew the lucky numbers 5-3-14-7-5-3 which consequently emerged you as one of
first fifty (50) lucky winners.
You have
therefore been approved for a lump sum payout of €1,000,000.00 (One Million
EURO) in cash credited to file SHL/Spiel-77. This is from a total cash prize of
€50 Million Euro shared amongst the first fifty (50) lucky winners in this
category.
Be
informed that your funds are currently deposited in an offshore bank with a
hardcover insurance.
If you
are unable to come directly to office, you can make a telegraphic transfer of
your funds to your private bank account. You can also employ a courier service
company to deliver your winning cheque to your home or office address.
To make a
telegraphic transfer of your funds to your private bank account, you are
required to send your name and address in full, phone number, and banking
details so as to facilitate the transfer of your funds to your nominated
account.
If you
choose to employ a courier service for the delivery of your winnings, you are
required to send your name, phone number, mailing address (home or office
address), so as to facilitate the release of your Funds to your designation.
Note that
all winnings must be claimed by the beneficiary.
You are required to send the necessary information in full as regards your
chosen option to effect the remittance of your winnings to your designation.
Congratulations once again from all members and staff of this board and thanks
for being part of our promotions program.
Yours faithfully,
Mr. Stevens Herbert
Schleswig-Holstein Lotto
Information and Payment Bureau:
London Representative Office.
Tel: + 44 701 115-0676
Fax: +44-870-974-2645
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 not be
questioning it.
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