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If you replied to the Lotto Rheinland-Pfalz lottery / promo scam email you can expect to receive another email like the one below from "Mr.Wilson Gart" to contact "Mr Kenneth Rooney at SkyNet Worldwide Express" telling you that that you must pay "hardcover insurance policy", "delivery fees", "taxes", etc. Of course, that is all nonsense. Real lotteries are prohibited by law in most countries from charging winners these fees. Some of this is simply made up: there is no such thing as a "hardcover insurance policy" - go ahead, search on that term in Google and see if you can find a single definition. Similarly, the references to specific laws and regulations are either completely made up, or taken completely out of context.
The simple fact you must somehow grasp is no legitimate lottery will ever email a winner, nor require a winner to pay any fees, taxes or delivery charges. 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:
NO LOTTERY ANYWHERE REQUIRES WINNERS TO PAY FEES, TAXES OR OTHER CHARGES TO COLLECT THEIR WINNINGS!!! Can we say it any more plainly than that?
Pigeon English - Notice that as the scammer gets past the initial template email and must write free-form, how his grammar, spelling and basic sentence structure go straight in the toilet. The scammers don't even know how to use spell checkers. After all, this is a stupid, low-life criminal in the heart of Africa, who probably dropped out of school at age 5 to join a gang or militia. Obviously, 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 its own email, its 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!"
Here is a typical scam lottery winning notification.
From: Lotto Rheinland-Pfalz [ wilsongartclaims05@yahoo.co.uk ]
Reference Number: LRP/19-DE/9317
Batch: LRP/06/41
Dear Winner,
I am Mr.Wilson Gart, the fiduciary agent assigned to your case to help you in the claims process of your funds. I wish to congratulate you and to say you are a lucky person to have won this lottery. All 50 winners were selected randomly through a computer ballot system from e-mail addresses and names from the World Wide Web.
Please find attached to this e-mail, your Lottery Payment Release Order Form.
You are required to fill the form to facilitate the processing of your claims and certificate which will lead to the payment of your prize to you as required. Any form of identification would also be required from you.
You are to choose only one option from the three given options. For any option you choose, you are to fill in the necessary information in the space provided.
1. You go to our paying agent in Germany to collect your prize of €1,000,000.00 (One Million Euro) in cash.
2. Transfer of your funds to your local bank account by Telegraphic/Swift Bank transfer and your funds will be in your account within 48 hours.
3. You employ the services of our affiliate courier company to courier your funds and other documents to your doorstep.
Note that you will be totally responsible for the telegraphic bank transfer charges or courier charges. When we receive your filled form, we will send you more information on any option you choose.
Also note that your funds has been insured and no deduction can be made on it.
You are to send your filled form and identification by fax or as an e-mail attachment.
Once again I say congratulations!
Yours faithfully,
Mr.Wilson Gart
Foreign Services Manager,
Information and Payment Bureau.
London Representative Office.
phone: + 44 70457 30177 , + 44 70457 30184
Fax: 00 44 870 974 2884
If you do not have an acrobat reader on your computer, please click HERE to download one so you can view your payment release form and subsequent documents sent to you in respect of your winnings.
With this pdf attachment "Payment Release Order Form" to complete. They actually ask fro your complete bank account details! Here is aportion of the form:
And then:
SkyNet Worldwide Express,
Lawrence Road, Hounslow
Middlesex, TW4 6DR
Phone:+44 704 570 7882
Fax: +44 203 006 8876
Date24/1/2008
Dear Customer,
Goodday to you. This is to inform you that we are in possession of your certified check which is to be couriered to you. You are to please confirm your alternative mailing address to enable us dispatch your parcel immediately.It is the usual practice of our organisation to conduct a proper verification of all parcels that we are to deliver to ensure that they are valid. Be rest assured that your cheque has been confirmed valid, true and delivery will be made once you have met the necessary requirements.
We are a well established company offering courier and transport services 24hour a day for priority delivery of letters, parcels and consignments to any destination by road, air or sea. We have a substantial team of couriers available for motorcycle despatch plus van driver couriers in all size vehicles from small vans up to 7.5 tonne and international couriers for despatch by road, sea or air.
Description Of Your Parcel To Be Delivered:
An Original Certificate Of Weight :-------------0.15kg
Bonded Draft Of Weight :-------------0.17kg
Total Weight Of Parcel :-------------0.32kg
Colour Of Parcel :-------------Brown
Length Of Days :-------------24hours
Parcel Delivery Destination:
Name:Address: ,
Country:
Below are the mandatory administrative charges that you required to pay to enable us courier your certified bank cheque to you.
Courier Charges ............................... £100.00 British Pound Serlings.
Vat ...............................£50.00 British Pound Serlings.
Insurance ...............................£100.00 British Pound Serlings.
Guarantee Form............................£50.00 British Pound Serlings.
TOTAL: £300.00 Pounds..............$590.285 USD.The charges are a little high because of the insurance cover we have undertaken incase of loss,damage or theft of your highly sensitive document. We assume all responsibilities incase of any eventualities. You are to make the payment through WESTERN UNION MONEY TRANSFER as to speed up the process of delivery. You are to locate the nearest Western Union Office close to you and make the payment through the name of our accounts.You are required to pay through our Accounts officer in London because presently our accounts are undergoing a mid-year auditing and hence no payments can be made directly via Telegraphic Transfer.We apologise for any inconveniences.
Account Officer Below:
Mr Kenneth Rooney
Lawrence Road, Hounslow
Middlesex, TW4 6DR
United Kingdom
You are to email this office a copy of the transfer slip, Send the following information vian email as they appear on the Western Union Transfer Slip:
[1] Name And Address Of Sender:
[2] Amount Sent:
[3] Control Number (MTCN):
[4] Test Question And Answer If Any:
You are also to send a copy of the evidence of payment to your handling agent as well for confirmation. A receipt of the above payment will be issued to you from our office along with your cheque and winning certificate.
As soon as we receive confirmation and evidence of payment of the above charges, we will despatch your parcel immediately. The date and time of departure and expected date of delivery will be sent to you. It will take twenty-four hours (24hrs) to get your parcel delivered to you. You will be required to sign for the parcel and to do this, you will need either your international passport as identification or your driver's license.
NOTE: That your prize is protected by a hardcover insurance policy, which makes it impossible to deduct any amount from the money before it has been remitted to you. This means that the above charges cannot be deducted from the prize and hence must be provided by you because your an international winner,before your prize is transferred to you. This is in accordance with section 13(1)(n) of the national gambling act as adopted in 1993 and amended on 3RD july 1996 by the constitutional assembly. This is to protect Prize Winners and to avoid misappropriation of funds. {AND NOTE THAT WE DO NOT OFFER C.O.D AS PART OF OUR SERVICES}.
All orders not delivered within FOUR (4) working days from this communication will be returned. Please ensure that you confirm your delivery address.We are glad to be of service to you.
Petra Takkenberg.
Head,Customer Proposition
Skynet Worldwide Express.
Click here for the huge list of the names of the currently identified lottery scams companies
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