i feel like i recieved a lottery scam letter today saying i had won a million dallars fromEuromillion  lottery
598742
The proper authority to report them to is the local police where you live, but they probably won't act on your report because they are not familiar with online fraud. Other authorities that know how to handle such cases won't accept your report unless you lost $100,000 or more. It' a Catch-22 type of situation.\n\nInternational online fraud largely falls through the cracks. Most of the scams (even when they list phone numbers and addresses in the UK) are run from Nigeria. There are tens of thousands of active scammers there, far more than the police there can handle. The courts there are still processing cases from the 1990s.\n\nGiven the low chance of success in Nigeria, most law enforcemnt agencies will not even bother investigating any further once they know the crooks are in Nigeria. International investigations take a lot of time and effort, so law enforcment won't bother unless they have a reasonable chance of getting a conviction, which is uncertain in most online fraud which is a very anonymous type of crime. How do you proof guilt beyond reasonable doubt of a particular person if all you have is a prepaid mobile phone number and an IP address of an Internet cafe in Lagos/Nigeria?\n\nIf you want to make life difficult for the scammers, take up scambaiting. It's a fine hobby that wastes their time while providing lots of entertainment for you and it keeps the criminals away from real victims.\n\nLaw enforcement will not tackle international online fraud until there is the political will to make it a priority, which it currently isn't. The problem will only get bigger until then.
949428
I received a letter from this group stating that I won an award, I threw it in the trash and started investigating. It is a fraudulent organization. Also, be aware that a letter is being circulated in which a person posing as an artist is looking for someone to open an account in their country in order to accept money orders and send the cash to them in the Netherlands. Don't fall for this ploy. A lady accepted a large sum of money in the form of Money Orders from a person who wanted to move to the U. S. The person, a few days later, wanted her to send two thousand dollars to him, stating that it was an emergency, \nshe sent the money only to find out that the money orders had been stolen and she was out two thousand dollars and had a visit from the authorities. Let's use our smarts in these situations.
642268
Its a scam...and it is catching a lot of people...\nFor a write up on it go to:\nhttp://www.fraudwatchers.org/forums/showthread.php?t=1746&highlight=%22united+lotto%22\n.\n.\n.\n.\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.\n.\nThe checks/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
1043644
dam man i just won $500 00bucks
407499
It sounds like an email that you received which is a scam. You should only play the lottery if you are in the UK and you buy a lottery ticket.\n\nPaying charges is definitely a no no!\n\nIf you get emails asking you to send money, ignore all of them.\n\nTo check, pick out some of the key words or phrases in the email and search google. Then you will have a better idea who else is getting the same email and whether it's a scam
573383
My husband got a letter from the Spanish Lotto Commission, saying he won... and oh by the way, please mail passport number and bank account number.  Yeah, right.  I shredded the darn thing.
197045
This is one of the biggest scams around.  You receive a letter that you one a lottery (you start thinking, did I enter one, odds are no) or you receive a letter from someone in a foreign country asking for your help.  Each promises you millions (from the lottery or if you help this foreigner) and all you have to do is provide your checking or savings account number.  Money will be wired into your account and you are an instant millionaire.......NOT!!!  They've just sucked your account dry of all the money you had.  \n\nDon't every reply to these scams unless you want to lose it all!
164459
Fake!  Just think about your state lottery contacting you that you won.  Okay, you have to have entered or bought a ticket.
156246
Hey! I got the exact same email as you did and tried to look up the powerball international and the financial company as well and didn't come up with any results. My guess is they are fake. I'm not sure if you replied to the email on how to get your $, but I did just to see what would happen.
884759
I recieved the same letter, I checked it out at the bank first had them call Chase, the check is not valid. I also called the number on the letter two nights ago at 10:23pm and was surprised when the answer I got was "What the f*ck are you doing calling so late, don't you knwo what time it is" "click" It is a scam just frame the check in the "wish it was" frame and go back to our pathetic lives
160391
You would need to provide more information if you want an answer ... like the name of the bank or anything specific?\n\nAnyway, it sounds like a scam, especially if the notice came by email.  Unless you entered a lottery, you didn't win one.  \n\nCall the bank and ask them.  Just don't give out any personal information unless you really know who you are talking to and dealing with.
255375
It's fraud man don't beleive them, I'll tell you something have u ever participated in an English Lottery contest or any linked thing?? I guess not, if they emailed you again just send them an email telling them to send you some of the money for you to go and receive your prize.
1051555
It doesn't.  You got something from them in an e-mail, right?\nYou won a "lottery" you didn't know you entered, right?\n\nSomeone's trying to scam ye.
1187633
This is a scam, pure and simple.  There is no such lottery.  Never answer or reply to such e-mails, never give them any information.  If you want, you can forward the messages to abuse@<domain>, where <domain> is the return address listed in the message.  For instance, if it says to reply to dradobo@yahoo.com, forward the message, with the message headers, to abuse@yahoo.com.  They will investigate and usually close the account being used to receive the replies.\n\nThousands of people have lost thousands of dollars to these scams.  They tell you that you must pay all kinds of fees and taxes to collect your winnings, and when you finally wise-up and realize you are being scammed, they disappear with all your money.
410404
It is a scam / hoax / BS.\n\nThe lottery will not contact you if you win...you have to have the winning ticket in your hand and take yourself to the lotto outlet and have it scanned.\n\nIf you have any doubts...go to the website below and look up your scam-mail!
804697
It's a scam.  Pay no attention to it.\nIf you didn't enter a contest or buy a lottery ticket, how do you expect to win it?
1097743
Did you get one of those emails stating that they have millions of dollars and need you to take it for them?  BIG SCAM!!!!!!!!!  Be careful!  If that's not the case, I would go to my bank and ask.