Lottery Scams
Lottery scam emails are increasing at an alarming rate. FraudWatch International have compiled a list of over 380 allegedly Fraudulent Operations from a variety of official sources.
It begins with an email claiming the recipient has won a lottery. They are to contact a claims agent to collect their winnings, usually at a free email address. The unsuspecting consumer contacts the claims agent who sends a claim form to verify their identity. They must return the form with their personal details along with copies of their passport and driver’s license to “verify their true identity.” This is where the scam begins. The fraudsters now have enough information to duplicate the consumer’s identity.
The responding consumer receives an email with three options of how to collect their winnings. They can have the money wired to their bank account, they can open an account with a specified bank (bogus), or they can pick up their winnings personally (normally from Amsterdam).
Most people want their winnings transferred into their bank account. This involves upfront fees for taxes, insurance or even legal fees. Victims transfer money as requested via Western Union. If they do not want to pay upfront fees, they can open an online account with a specified bank, who’s ‘policy’ requires a deposit of around US$3,000. This bank is fake. Alternatively, victims are able to pick up their money personally by travelling to Amsterdam, where they are required to pay a release fee in cash, and receive their winnings in counterfeit currency.
For a list of known Lottery Scam Operatives and example emails, click here...
What to do?
FraudWatch International strongly advises against any communications with fraudsters who run these scams. Do not respond at all. If you already have, cease all communication immediately.
Please forward all fraudulent lottery emails to our scams@fraudwatchinternational.com email address where our investigative team can work to shut them down.
If you have given personal details:
These fraudsters are after enough information to commit identity theft. They will request information such as personal contact details, address, workplace, and next of kin details. They will also request copies of passports and drivers licenses. When they have all this information, they are then able to commit Identity Theft using all the personal information obtained.
If they only have your email address and telephone number, then you are not at risk. If you have provided a majority of the above information, then you are at risk of becoming a victim of Identity Theft. We recommend you follow instructions in our Identity Theft section of the web site.
If you have lost money:
If you have already given money to these fraudsters for any variety of reasons, unfortunately, there is not much chance of recovery. Once the fraudsters have your cash, even if they are caught and prosecuted, your money is gone. FraudWatch International is unable to assist people to recover money paid to these fraudsters
Phishing Site Statistics
| Current Active | 4,124 |
| Total Detected | 723,005 |
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Report a fraudulent email
Nigerian 419 Scam letters, Lottery emails, Phishing emails and other fraudulent emails should be forwarded to our Investigation Team at:
