Kenneth W. says:

April 22, 2008 10:14 am

Received E-mail notice of winnings valued at 1,500,000 Great British Pounds. E-mail was from a Powell-Austin, Domonique K, next day received correspondance from a Mr. Phil Smith wanting personnal information to process the claim.

Laurie T. says:

April 30, 2008 3:43 pm

I received a notice through the mail from RBC Financial Services, Inc., St. John NF, Canada, that I had won the "All American Sweepstakes Drawing"... $450,000. They sent a check for $4980 in my name, and directed me to call a claims representative to get the certified check. From reading on the internet, the scam goes that the "winner" deposits the check in their account, then writes a check to the listed "Tax Agent". The deposited check bounces, but the Tax Agent gets your money because you have to cover it. I'm taking this letter to the Post Office.

Karen D. says:

May 9, 2008 3:42 pm

My mom also got a letter from RBC Financial Services Incin Canada with what looked like a real check. I took it to her bank and opened a separate bank account for her to deposit it. It looked like a scam and I wanted to protect her information. Before deciding to deposit the check I did some more research online and found Laurie T's comments. So, I didn't bother to actually deposit the check.

Domonique says:

May 18, 2008 11:31 am

Someone hacked into my e-mail sending out these messages about winning the lottery. So beware not only of foreign lottery scams, but of those who are able to tap into your e-mail

Rasin says:

June 2, 2008 4:12 pm

Received check for $4,910.72 from Toronto (FSI Financial Services, Inc. to be sent to Tax Agent so I could win the All American Sweepstakes Drawing. I never entered a sweepstakes. This stinks.

John says:

June 2, 2008 5:30 pm

We just received a letter from FSI Financial Services and the magical $4,910.72 check as well. Interesting check...no bank transit number printed on it at all. Drawn on Wells Fargo Bank, NA..you'd have a hard time verifying it without a transit number. Oh well, if it appears too good to be true.....

Claudia says:

June 3, 2008 10:15 am

Received a letter from Uniqa Finance & Trust Services. 204-3343 Fallowfield Rd, Chambly, QC J5t 2J8 Tel: 1-450-675-2563. There is a check for 2,990.00 looks very authenic. Wants me to deposit it and then send them that amount to pay for processing. Then I will receive a check for 42,010.00.

Travis says:

June 3, 2008 10:44 am

To Claudia:

This is a scam - we call it the overpayment scam. You can read more here.

Ryan says:

June 3, 2008 2:03 pm

Claudia, I just recieved the same information. My check was from Big Sky Western Bank. Everything looks official except I can't find Uniqa anywhere on the internet. I called the number to check on it. Sounded really sketchy. Number listed on top was to canada. The number listed on the body was the same and he said he was in new york.

Dan says:

June 5, 2008 1:18 pm

I received a letter today from Western Atlantic Financial Services Inc. out of Toronto. Included was a check for the magic $4,910.72. In my case, the check included routing numbers on the bottom. The check was drawn on Wells Fargo. I called Wells Fargo Security and they told me it was a legitimate account number. I then faxed a copy of the "check" along with the letter to Wells Fargo Security. I suspect this account belongs to somebody. One has to admire the chutzpah of these guys; this scam is better than most.

carlton says:

June 6, 2008 10:43 am

Is anyone familiar with the western union lottery from britan. I recieved an e-mail stating tha I won the lottery and the money will be deposited in an account to the DEW Net Bank and they want me to open an account at this bank then send my application with passport info or drivers license info. Is this a scam?

James says:

June 6, 2008 5:32 pm

I received one of these letters... For about 10 seconds I looked at the check... Then I looked at the letter.. DOH! Just for grins I called the number and was urged to go deposit the check right away and then call the dude back. I wrote VOID on the check with a big marker and then call the Vancouver Police which is near the 778 area code. They had me contact phonebusters.com since there is a working phone number included. Maybe it is forwarded 20 times to some dude in Sir Lanka just maybe they can nab someone or at least disconnect the phone line. I am going to drop the letter and check off at the Federal Building Monday.

Travis says:

June 9, 2008 9:27 am

To Carlton:

See my second sentence above: "There are no legitimate foreign lotteries you can play in the U.S. - they are all scams."

jeannette says:

June 13, 2008 5:39 pm

I am so glad i read these comments

brijrajsinh says:

June 17, 2008 3:49 pm

i also received that I won prize money of $850000 U.S. from u.k.lottery. It said to deposit the charges in so and so account. but i can't deposit any charges.

Keld says:

June 21, 2008 12:21 am

I lost a lot of money in PCH in jamaica I lost $90,000 in the scam

mary says:

June 30, 2008 11:58 pm

have there been any scams reported about a sunshine lottery out of Montreal, Quebec

rose says:

July 5, 2008 9:38 am

I just received a letter from sunshine lottery it said i won from answering surveys received a check for $2,350 and a balance of $47,150 the tel number is 450-675-1026 and speak to angela reid it say if i dont claim the money it will be donated to charity in the name of the sponsors i dont know what to think of this one

Travis says:

July 8, 2008 10:06 am

To Mary: You can search using our KnowMO link, but I wouldn't bother. As I said above, there are NO legitimate foreign lotteries you can play in the U.S. They are ALL scams. No exceptions.

Jim says:

July 17, 2008 5:17 pm

Got this scam today but only for $250,000. Received a check that looked good drawn on the account of a Texas construction company at a Plano, TX bank for $4,850. It is supposedly the All American Sweepstakes Drawing sponsored by Games/Gaming Assocation of North America. Tear it up, people.

Diamond says:

July 30, 2008 3:11 pm

So all foreign lottery is a scam huh? I used to play the Austrailia lotto through the mail. I guess I lost 300.00 Wow, who would have guessed this. Thanks for letting me know. From now on I will tear it up.

Jeff says:

September 8, 2008 6:11 pm

Got a scam letter today.This one is called."THE 2008 NORTH AMERICAN SWEEPSTAKES LOTTERY".For the amount of $1.25MILLION USD.They sent me a check of $4,980 for taxes. I am suppose to contact MR.KEVIN ADAMS at 1-905-781-1531.Their address is suppose to be 510 BAY STREET TORONTO ONTARIO CANADA M5J 2P9.This is a scam don't be fooled.Put the letter in shredder.

kressee says:

September 21, 2008 1:29 pm

I recieved a check for $4985.00 I was to call a lady,before I cashed the check. They said I won $150,000 and that check was for taxes which will be deducted from my winnings I got the voicemail and I left my name and number.I have not recieced a call yet because they take calls from 10:00-6:00 eatsern time

nikki says:

September 23, 2008 12:14 pm

I recieved a check for 4985.00usd also from the international lottery. They told me to contact Joanne Thomas at 1-514-746-3883 but every time I call I get no answer not even a voice mail.

tula says:

September 29, 2008 1:18 pm

is it normal to pay a security keeping fee for lottery winnings?

jackson green says:

October 2, 2008 7:22 pm

i just got a check from the 2008 North American Sweepstakes Lottery. Same story as the others, the check was for $4980, and they wanted me to send them $3980 for taxes on my $125,000 winnings. Ya right, I didn't even enter any sweepstakes, there wasn't a return address on the envelope, and the weird thing about this is that I just turned 16 today and am not legally allowed to enter or participate in sweepstakes/lottery contests......so goes to show how smart they are.....saw them coming a mile away. Thanks to everyone for posting about this because it helped me verify that this was a scam from some dirty con-artists!

Kevin says:

October 29, 2008 12:26 pm

I sure am glad I found this site. I also received the letter stating I had won $450,000 with the check for $4,980. Mine was from Platinum Financial Serices Inc. in St. John NF,Canada. I am disabled and on a fixed income and that money sure would have helped me. I hope that other people on a fixed income finds this site and doesn't fall for this scam. These people who do this kind of thing must have no soul. I wish they could be found and put in jail!

Nancee says:

November 3, 2008 4:56 pm

received a letter from Platinum Financial Services that said I won 450,ooo. Along with it they sent a check for 4,980.00 for taxes from Huntington National bank for taxes. I think the scam is you deposit the check send them your money for taxes and then their check bounces. I am going to contact tv to inform people not to fall for this. Glad you have this website.

Christa says:

November 5, 2008 3:34 pm

I got the same letter from Platinum Financial Services St John NF Canada. The check is for $4980 to cover Non Resident Government Service Tax of $3980. I have supposedly won $450,000 in the All American Sweepstakes Drawing....the $4980 is from the account of Dove Machines Inc in Springfield Ohio. Huntington National Bank is the bank. If there was one in my area, I would take it there to see if is a real account -- the check really looks real! So who does one contact to report this scam? Would it not be considered mail fraud, therefore a federal offense?

Travis says:

November 5, 2008 4:02 pm

To Christa:

Yes, you can report these scams to the FBI at this link.

Cynthia says:

November 10, 2008 1:10 pm

I was former employee, Sales Director, of the Lottery, today, November 10, 2008 I recieve thru the mail check no. 500493 in the amount of $3,890.00. It is a scam!!!! Don't even put a logo on the envelope!

Mina says:

November 16, 2008 8:59 am

My husband just recieved a check in the amount of 4,980.00 from All American Sweepstakes Drawing telling him to deposit it into his account and then call the tax agent. I am glad I find this website before we were scammed.

TAMMY says:

November 24, 2008 12:58 pm

OMG, MY 80 YEAR OLD FATHER JUST RECEIVED THE SAME TYPE OF LETTER AND CHECK. I TOOK IT FROM HIM BEFORE HE COULD DEPOSIT IT. THANKS TO THIS WEB SIGHT, I CAN PROVE TO HIM THAT IT IS A SCAM. TELL ME THOUGH, WHO DO YOU REPORT THIS TO, I'VE ALREADY REPORTED HARRASSING PHONE CALLS HE GOT THAT WAS A SCAM AND EVEN HAD HIS PHONE NUMBER CHANGED, WHO DO YOU REPORT THIS TO. THANKS FOR THE HELP

Travis says:

November 24, 2008 3:05 pm

To Tammy:

See response to Christa above.

Varsha says:

November 29, 2008 12:42 am

Dear Sir / Madam, I received a mail as under. Plz tell it is true. The Camelot Group,: Operators of The UK National Lottery. 3b Olympic Way, Sefton Business Park, Aintree, Liverpool , L30 1RD REF Nº: UKL/74-A0802742027 BATCH Nº: 2007UKL-09 Serial Nº: A069-07 Compliment of the day to you. RE: PENDING CLAIMS PROCESS COMPLETED In regards to your pending claim processing, your winning prize has been endorsed by The UNITED KINGDOM LOTTERY Gaming Board. In furtherance, transfer of this sum electronically via our assigned bank (DEWNETBANK AND SECURITY) will also require you to set up an account online with them as attached to foreign claim. You are hereby advised to make direct contact with the above (DEWNETBANK AND SECURITY), for electronically transfer of your winning funds.The bank contact are issued below: ********************************************* Mr. HOYTE FORD (account officer) Bank Email: customecare@live.com ebankingtransfer@gmail.com Tel:+4470359 42758 Tel:+447045758342 Account Officer International funds transfer department ********************************************* NOTE: YOU MUST CALL THE HELP DESK OF DEWNETBANK AND SECURITY SERVICE AFTER SENDING AN EMAIL TO ENABLE THEM GIVE YOUR MAIL AN URGENT ATTENTION. On this bases your award sum will be deposited in an account set up with the (DEWNETBANK AND SECURITY) before you will be directed on the transfer policies. You will be required to choose a PIN CODE AND CUSTOMER ID. that will be setup to access your funds and a transaction code to effect any form of transfer to any designated bank account you wish. Note:The UK Lottery Promotion has discovered a huge number of double claiming due to recipients informing close friends relatives and third parties about their cash prize and also sharing their winning notification. As a result of this, these friends try to claim the winning prize on behalf of the real recipient. The UK National Lottery Promotion losses millions of pounds on this fraudulent people, and has reached a decision from it's headquarters that any double claiming discovered by the UKNATIONAL Lottery Board will result to the Lottery Board cancelling the entire winning prize for the rightful winner. So you are hereby strongly advised once more to keep your Winning Prize notification strictly confidential until you claim your winning prize. Please be kind enough to update us in subsequent proceeding with the DEWNETBANK AND SECURITIES Bank. Congratulation once again Yours faithfully, Mr.Terry Bledsoe Online Coordinator, CAMELOT GROUP, Operator of The National Lottery.

Rick says:

November 29, 2008 8:28 pm

My wife received mail with no return address. The letter is from APEX Financial Services 3019 Air Force Base Blvd, St John NF AIB 3X5 Canada (1-604-339-49980, stating she won $450,000.00 and an enclosed check for the sum of $4,990.00 on the behalf of National Vinegar Company, Inc Houston, TX (JP Morgan Bank NA). Actually the company appears to exist - thinking about fowarding the info so that they know someone is forging checks on their behalf. Hopefully by these postings we can warn people quickly!

Travis says:

December 1, 2008 9:23 am

To Varsha:

Refer to sentence in original blog post: "There are no legitimate foreign lotteries you can play in the U.S. - they are all scams."

Ann says:

December 3, 2008 7:45 pm

What if I just go to the bank and CASH the check and not put it in my account. Then they won't have my account information????

Travis says:

December 5, 2008 10:49 am

To Ann:

If you do that, the bank will come back to you in 10 days and say "that checked bounced. We need all the cash back." Plus, they probabaly will charge you a bounced check fee.

darshan says:

December 16, 2008 9:54 am

The Camelot Group,: Operators of The UK National Lottery. 3b Olympic Way, Sefton Business Park, Aintree, Liverpool , L30 1RD REF Nº: UKL/74-A0802742027 BATCH Nº: 2007UKL-09 Serial Nº: A069-07 Compliment of the day to you. RE: PENDING CLAIMS PROCESS COMPLETED In regards to your pending claim processing, your winning prize has been endorsed by The UNITED KINGDOM LOTTERY Gaming Board. In furtherance, transfer of this sum electronically via our assigned bank (DEWNETBANK AND SECURITY) will also require you to set up an account online with them as attached to foreign claim. You are hereby advised to make direct contact with the above (DEWNETBANK AND SECURITY), for electronically transfer of your winning funds.The bank contact are issued below:. i had recived this mail on 1-12-2008 & then after i had recived a male of download the certificate of award winning. so what should i do in that matter of taking the winning amount. plz inform me argentely. and if u r saying that first oppen the account in DEWNETBANK AND SECURITY. then also tell me the procedure for that. thanks

Wendy says:

December 18, 2008 12:33 am

Arrived in envelope with printed Luftpost Par Avion Prioritaire in left corner, and Entgels bezahit Taxe percue in right corner, my name and address in Oregon on a label. Item not postmarked. Header reads Prestige Funds Inc. 900 Cogswell Tower 2000 Barrington Street Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3J 3K1 Canada. Dated NOVEMBER 28, 2008. Your Claim number: NGE 6294-0122 GT. Final Notification Pleased to inform you that you are one of the third catagory winners in the ALL AMERICAN LOTTERY/SWEEPSTAKES DRAW. This NORTH AMERICA all consumer products patronage and customer benefiting companies promotional program was held on November 15, 2008 in CANADA, by the GAMES/GAMING ASSOCIATION OF NORTH AMERICA. A ticket with serial number 14558194DL attached to your name drew the lucky winning numbers, 21-46-86-55-46. You are therefore entitled to a GUARANTEED sum of $150.000,00 USD payable to your by CERTIFIED CHECK, and will be delivered to you by our special courier service. We are legally required to notify you that if you do no process your claim before DECEMBER 20, 2008, your file will be closed, and you may no longer be eligible to claim your winning. Enclosed is a check of $4850.00 USD which is for your tax payment of $3950.00 USD for NON-RESIDENT GOVERNMENT SERVICE TAX (GST) Payable to the Canadian tax office as stated below: Tax Officer: Elizabeth Melford 1575 Brunswick Street Halifax, Nova Scotia B3J 2G1, Canada Tax Amount $3,950.00 USD (three thousand nine hundred fifty) Payment Method: MONEYGRAM May we explain to you the Federal and International regulations governing the personal collections of cash prizes. Prize winnings are released to you as soon as your tax fee is paid, this will be the day that your check will be released from our payment office. The tax fee is provided to you and is a calculated amount based on the size of your winning, as required by the Federal and International regulations. Note that once your tax fee is paid, you will receive your winning in the form of a certified check, or if you request by bank transfer directly in to your bank account, or any nominated account by you. "Under section 22 of the Canadian Non-Resident Tax Act 2003, all winning candidates must clear full taxes of the money won. The Government strictly applies heavy punishment on Tax evasion cases on companies that authorize winning payment without full tax clearance by the winning candidate" For security purposes and clarity, we strongly advise that you keep your winning information confidential until your claim has been fully processed, and your money remitted to you. This is part of our security protocol to avoid double claims and unwarranted abuse of this program by some nominees. Your claim agent is: Mr. Chris Wesley Telephone number: 1-866-722-4863 (Monday - Friday: 8:30AM - 7:30PM, Saturday: 8AM - 3PM AST - Atlantic Standard Time) VERY IMPORTANT: Please, do not act on this notice until you contact your agent (Mr. Chris Wesley) for authorization and further instructions on how to claim your prize Congratulations on behalf of our company. Your Trucly Stephen O'Hare (Promotions Director) **Check in the amount of $4,850.00 was enclosed that appeared negotiable drawn on WHITNEY NATIONAL BANK 228 St Charles Ave New Orleans, LA 70130-2615 Business name on check is AGAPE 1633 1st St New Orleans, LA 70130 Memo VOID AFTER 60 DAYS FROM DATE OF ISSUE Check # 6480 Date 11/28/08. I ran some internet searches. Prestige Funds, Inc is a Offshore Investment Co out of England. Whitney National Bank is a recogonized banking institution. AGAPE is Agape Pest Control with address of 1633 1st St, as shown on check. Nothing seemed to link together in a reasonable fashion and the search for ALL AMERICAN LOTTERY lead me here. THANKS for the site. Glad I only spent a couple hours in this delusion !

Angie says:

December 18, 2008 11:25 am

OH My God.. i just got the same letter from apex financial services inc.. i just laugh at it because i work for chase bank and we get these types of checks all the time and their fraud.. So yes is a scam.. so dont even bother!

Stanley says:

January 19, 2009 12:06 am

During these hard times, I was very tempted to cash my check of $4,850. Glad I researched and found this site before I did. I'm tearing the check up and reporting this scam to the proper authorities.

Rosy says:

January 23, 2009 12:38 am

To Wendy: I go the same exact letter you got with the same exact claim number, serial number and winning numbers then I knew for sure it was a scam. Thank you so much for posting this u saved my family from being scammed. I was really in doubt about the whole situation thats what let me to search online and i'm so glad I did. I can't believe people will do these things to get people's money when the economy is so bad and so many people have lost their jobs. It is just plain cruel.

Connie says:

January 26, 2009 8:57 pm

All American Lottery sent me a check for 4850$. It said that my daugter won 15000000$. My daugter never said anything about a lottery. My daugter deposited the check into the bank account and the money is still inside the account.

Lisa says:

January 29, 2009 9:07 pm

Just got a letter in the mail from RBC Financial with a creepily real looking check for $4902 saying i won the USA mega millions, also known as "the big game" and it said the numbers i drew. the envelope had no return address, no logo, just stamped coming from canada. Why would the US lottery send anything from canada was my first concern. The routing numbers matched and were validated, and though i will look further into it tomorrow, im sure this is a scam after reading all these comments above. too bad

Cindy says:

February 12, 2009 1:19 pm

Rec'd a check of $4855.00 and letter saying I won $200,000.00 by a sweepstakes ticket number 14558194DL for winning numbers of 21-46-86-55-46. Wants me to pay $3,859.00 of tax to Jennifer Greenhill located in Canada. This is too good to be real, so I searched all company names on check and letter, found out the company name on check is real, but I didn't find any info of the company that shown on the letter, address is very close to real, just 1 digit off the real zip code. Does anyone know where I can report this?

Travis says:

February 13, 2009 11:24 am

To Cindy:

You can file a complaint about it with our office.

Patrick says:

February 25, 2009 4:10 pm

Same as Cindy on February 12th, 2009. Received letter from RBC Financial (Ontario, Canada) saying I had won $250,000 from the USA Mega Millions aslo known as "The Big Game" along with a check for $4,850.00 and to contact Steve Johnson @ 416-732-8760 before cashing check. I contacted Steve he asked me for my name which I gave to him and then he asked for my phone number. I asked him why he needed my phone number and he said "no problem" and immediately hung up on me. Thanks to all above for exploiting this scam and hope these people will be prosecuted.

alvin says:

March 2, 2009 9:09 pm

Just received a $4,800 check from RBC Financial in Ontorio Canada. Same scenerio as previous bloggers. Too good to be true. Plus this was mailed to my old address. It was obviously fishy because it says to claim your prize money and deposit the check no later than Feb 30, 2009. Hello? Last day of the month is the 28th!

Lance says:

March 30, 2009 4:53 pm

i just got a check from North American International Lottery. saying that i won 45,000 and they sent me a check for $2460 and i am suppose to contact BRENDA LEWIS OF NORTH AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL LOTTERY. im guessing its the same as all the others...the check they sent me is suppose to cover all of the taxes and fees for my 45,000 check...yeah right...

Lana says:

April 2, 2009 10:11 pm

Received check #1355 from CHC MANAGED ACCOUNTS 16414 SAN PEDRO AVENUE, SUITE 940 SAN ANTONIO, TX 78232 to pay Canadian taxes on sweepstakes winnings - (it is a pure scam) they even left phone number 1-866-959-2633 PEOPLE PAY ATTENTION - NOONE CAN ASK MONEY UPFRONT IN TAX PAYMENT - DO NOT PAY OR CLEAR ANY CHECKS FROM PEOPLE OR ORGANIZATIONS YOU ARE NOT AWARE OF - PLUS READ THE TAX LAW ONLINE... DON'T LET SCAMMERS GET RICH

Matt says:

May 19, 2009 3:17 pm

Just received a letter with no return address and all my address information on it. When I opened the letter it was a check for $4500.00 USD to cover the tax expenses of $3750.00 for a 'consumer drawing' winning of $150,000.00. All the information on the check appears legit(Teco Financial, which is the finance department of Teco Westinghouse located in Texas). So I went online and found this site, the number listed came up here, 1-866-959-2633, the same number as the one listed above. I did a bit of research and found the number for Teco Westinghouse, gave them a call and verified that it was, in fact, a scam. Hope this helps anyone else out that receives one of these letters, just rip it up and throw it away.