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Have you received an email from "Barrister Terry Wilgate" at "Swiss Lottery Organizations" telling you that "your email address won in the second category" or something similar, and to contact "my office" to collect your winnings?
And they reassure you with the following statement:
"Fill the form, every thing about is legal and real, beside all we are doing here is being watched and governed by the British Governing Council"
It is a scam. No legitimate, legal lottery notifies winners vian email (see footnote)! The scammers may change the names and details, but it is still a scam!
Below is the example of the fake email scam (the email is the scam, not any persons or companies named in the email) claiming to be from the "Swiss Lottery Organizations".
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.
From Barrister Terry Wilgate Claims Agent <barr_terrywilgate_agent@yahoo.se>
ATTN: LUCKY WINNER,
How are you doing today? I received your email and content to your email was understood, may God bless you. My name is Barrister Terry Wilgate, I was assign by the Swiss Lottery Organizations to file your claims as been one of the lucky winners in there end of year draw, I will also like to inform you that i will be the one to sign all proper document on your behalf here in the United kingdom to make sure your winnings is been release to me to you, that is to say i am also your next of kin here in the United Kingdom, regarding your Swiss lottery winnings funds of (One Million Pounds) which you won.
HOW DID I BECOME A WINNER?
Congratulations once again. Your email indicating you as a winner in the lottery programs held by SWISS LOTTO AWARD. Your email address was selected through the computer ballot system drawn from over 25,000,000 company and 40,000,000 individual email addresses, your email address attached to a single ticket was found as one of the lucky email address that emerge from the first category to have won the sum of GBP £1,000, 000.00 (ONE MILLION POUNDS) Note you don't have to purchase a ticket to enter this lottery. Its a free email draw.
HOW TO CLAIM MY WINNINGS?
In order for me to verify your winnings, I need your particulars for verification and record purposes. See the verifications form below; please fill the form accordingly so as to proceed with the claiming procedure. Please be rest assured that any information you disclose to us will strictly be use for all matters that pertains to your winnings and unknown account will I disclose your information to the third party for any reason.
Once again congratulations from all the Lottery House staff. Fill the form, every thing about is legal and real, beside all we are doing here is being watched and governed by the British Governing Council. See the form below.
1.Name:.................... 2.Address:................ 3.Marital Status:.......... 4.Occupation:.............. 5.Age:..................... 6.Sex:.................... 8.Country Of Residence:........... 9.Telephone Number:............... 10.Fax Number:................... 11.Draw Number above:................. 12.company/brief description:............. 13.Annual Income:....................... 14.Date of Draw:.....................
Upon the receipt of the above information, I shall forward your particulars to the verification center for further security and verification purposes. After your particulars have being duly verified.
Note: The above verification form must be completed and return back to my office within four (4) working days.
Warm Regards
Barrister Terry Wilgate
Your Claims Agent.
Version 2
Congratulations once again. Your email indicating you as a winner in the lottery programs held by SWISS LOTTO AWARD. Your email address was selected through the computer ballot system drawn from over 25,000,000 company and 40,000,000 individual email addresses, your email address attached to a single ticket was found as one of the lucky email address that emerge from the first category to have won the sum of GBP £1,000, 000.00 (ONE MILLION POUNDS) Note you don't have to purchase a ticket to enter this lottery. Its a free email draw.
HOW TO CLAIM MY WINNINGS?
In order for me to verify your winnings, I need your particulars for verification and record purposes. See the verifications form below; please fill the form accordingly so as to proceed with the claiming procedure. Please be rest assured that any information you disclose to us will strictly be use for all matters that pertains to your winnings and unknown account will I disclose your information to the third party for any reason.
Once again congratulations from all the Lottery House staff. Fill the form, every thing about is legal and real, beside all we are doing here is being watched and governed by the British Governing Council. See the form below.
1.Name:.................... 2.Address:................ 3.Marital Status:.......... 4.Occupation:.............. 5.Age:..................... 6.Sex:.................... 8.Country Of Residence:........... 9.Telephone Number:............... 10.Fax Number:................... 11.Draw Number above:................. 12.company/brief description:............. 13.Annual Income:....................... 14.Date of Draw:.....................
Upon the receipt of the above information, I shall forward your particulars to the verification center for further security and verification purposes. After your particulars have being duly verified.
Note: The above verification form must be completed and return back to my office within four (4) working days.
Warm Regards
Barrister Terry Wilgate
Your Claims Agent.
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.