Why do some agencies charge fees for a supposedly free visa lotteries?
145574
when they say free it catches your eye, it's all about profit.
246510
I think you are probably refering to the Diveristy Visa lottery. In that case it is:\nhttp://www.dvlottery.state.gov/
1104431
Clean your system out. they most likely put in a cookie and it's all a scam. Exactly like the Publisher Clearing House sweepstakes. any organizations that ask you to send your money to claim a prize which you did not apply for is a rip off. Delete all e-mails from them without opening it.To use a cliche, there's no such thing as a free lunch.
364820
money isn't free, if they say you will get money for not doing anything it is a scam.  Always remember if it looks to go to be true it probably is.
1040334
Well, some countries are clearly giving them bonuses  ;-))\n\nFake penalties, yellow cards, fouls... there is probably a fee's table to choose from.
61031
and you just have to pay them like 30 bucks for some kind of claiming fee right?  that's a load of crap. if u never entered that lottery to begin with, how can you win it?   also if they are asking for money, that's an obvious way to tell its a fake.
362877
This is basically a lottery scam.\nYou end up paying for the fees with a fake cashiers check.\nThese can be faked as well as a personal check but make people feel safer because they are "cashiers check"\n\nYou cannot have an international lottery as the gambling laws differ in every country.\nThe scammers say it is "International" so as to cover every country.\nLotterys work like this:\n1)10,000 people pay 1 dollar/euro/pound/yen....etc\nThe lottery company now has 10,000\n\n2) the lottery company holds a draw and gives out 7,000 in winnings (and keeps the profit 3,000)\n\nScams work like this:\n-1)nobody pays money (there is no money to win)\n\n0)a scammer sends out 10,000 spam emails to tell people they have won a lottery they havn't entered.(they pretend they work for real lottery websites)\n\n2)The Scammer asks for your Personal details (be prepared! your inbox is going to be full of emails asking for you personally...and dont get me started on what they are gonna do with your Bank details!)\n\n3)The scammer tells you that you have to pay fees before you can accept the "winnings" (and NO,you cant pay out of the winnings! they dont exist!....silly maga)\n\n4)The scammer manages to con 3 people out of 1000 and gives all his profits to a charity for orphaned goats (he dosn't really...he keeps it ;) )\n\n5)Your inbox gets more mails than help@microsoft.com\nEverything from "You have won anotther sooperdooperlottry" to "CHAN U B A NEXT OF KIN" to "Please join our company,cash our checks,send us the money until your bank realises you are laundering money for us?)\n\nThe moral of the story is...If it sounds too good to be true... It probably is\n\n\n\nThe money orders will be fake....very good fakes.\nYou can hand them to a 25yr old bank teller and they wont know the difference.\nThe checks go in your account.\nYour bank "HONOURS" the checks\nYou send the money to the scammer in Nigeria\nThe bank sends the check back to the issuing bank (can take up to 6 months)\nThe Issueing bank refuses to "CLEAR" the check.\nYour bank says"Hey...you put in a fake check ....wheres the money?"\nYou say" I sent it to [insert scammers name here] by western union money transfer(untracable) to that lovely man/woman/both in Nigeria"\nThe bank says"??? you robbed your own bank???"\nYou plead Ignorance..."Im innocent" etc\nThey say "But YOU put the check in our bank...." and you do jail time for bank fraud\n\n"419" scammers....dont ya love 'em\nwww.fraudwatchers.org\nwww.scamomatic.com
1185377
If it is FreeLotto, get rid of them. They want your credit card number. It they are asking for you to pay a fee to process, it is a scam. I called the Better Business Bureau to find out about all the ones I got in the mail and they told me they are not listed. Which means that they are probably a scam to get your money.
253335
It's a scam I get e-mails all the time stating I won the Nigerian lottery, The Canadian lottery etc.. Do not repeat do not give them you company's foreign account number they will wipe that account out. If you won a lottery you don't need to send any money to collect the winnings the tax money will be taken out of the winnings.
1019024
Hmm, did you know that In both the U.S. and Canada, it's illegal to play a foreign lottery - through the mail or on the telephone or Internet?  Call the company and ask them how it is legal for them to sell you tickets.\n\nFrom the Federal Trade Commission: \nfull text here: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/tmarkg/crossbrdr.htm\n\nInternational Lotteries:\n\nMost promotions for foreign lotteries are likely to be phony. Many scam operators don't even buy the promised lottery tickets. \n\nOthers buy some tickets but keep the "winnings" for themselves. In addition, lottery hustlers use victims' bank account numbers to make unauthorized withdrawals or their credit card numbers to run up additional charges.\n\n(snip, some content deleted)\n\nIn both the U.S. and Canada, it's illegal to play a foreign lottery - through the mail or on the telephone or Internet. Don't add insult to injury by inviting federal charges.
604898
Electron is a legal company but they do not sponser lotteries..Lotteries are paid for by the purchase of lottery tickets.\nIf you receive an email that you have won a lottery ...then it is a scam.\n\nYou cannot have an international lottery as the gambling laws differ in every country.\nThe scammers say it is "International" so as to cover every country.\nLotterys work like this:\n1)10,000 people pay 1 dollar/euro/pound/yen....etc\nThe lottery company now has 10,000\n\n2) the lottery company holds a draw and gives out 7,000 in winnings (and keeps the profit 3,000)\n\nScams work like this:\n-1)nobody pays money (there is no money to win)\n\n0)a scammer sends out 10,000 spam emails to tell people they have won a lottery they havn't entered.(they pretend they work for real lottery websites)\n\n2)The Scammer asks for your Personal details (be prepared! your inbox is going to be full of emails asking for you personally...and dont get me started on what they are gonna do with your Bank details!)\n\n3)The scammer tells you that you have to pay fees before you can accept the "winnings" (and NO,you cant pay out of the winnings! they dont exist!....silly maga)\n\n4)The scammer manages to con 3 people out of 1000 and gives all his profits to a charity for orphaned goats (he dosn't really...he keeps it ;) )\n\n5)Your inbox gets more mails than help@microsoft.com\nEverything from "You have won anotther sooperdooperlottry" to "CHAN U B A NEXT OF KIN" to "Please join our company,cash our checks,send us the money until your bank realises you are laundering money for us?)\n\nThe moral of the story is...If it sounds too good to be true... It probably is
988626
I think you are asking "why" is the addressforimmigration services free? If that is the question the answer is no. LOL.
148764
http://www.national-lottery.co.uk/player/p/promotions/promotions.do?promo=contactfaq#ch2\n\nIt is a scam. There is a lottery but it has nothing to do with Nigeria and you do not have to pay.\nDelete the mail.
755832
The companies call it an advertising expense.  To get the 'free' item, you have to give them your name and address and agree to receive all there ads.
473213
If you're talking about the Visa Diversity Lottery Program, it does exist.  There's no way of knowing ahead of time if you'll be chosen.  Fortunately, it doesn't cost unless you win.\n\nBest of luck.
1187559
Yes, it's a scam.\nDid you buy a  lotto ticket? Yeah, didn't think so.
891833
A rule of life is that there "ain't no free lunch." So, why are you so wonderful that they want to give you something? You are right to be skeptical.\n\nA timeshare high-pressure meeting is certainly an option.\n\nAnother is that you get free air fare, but have to stay at their hotel. Or, you get free hotel, but have to book the flight through their travel agency at their rates.\n\nSo glad they told you they were not a scam. Prisons are full of people who are not guilty, also.