Scam Lottery walk-through

[Len]

LOTTO SCAMS – A WALK-THROUGH

Have you received an e-mail claiming you have won a cash prize in a lottery? Sorry, it’s a scam! Microsoft and other big companies DO NOT give away money to strangers, whose e-mails they pick out of a hat! If you’d bought a ticket in a regular, or online lottery, in a foreign country, you’d remember! Besides which, e-mail is not the way lottery winners are either selected or notified.

This scam format is becoming more and more common, for a number of reasons. People often WANT to believe that they might have won money., or else they feel they have nothing to lose by playing along, just on the off-chance that there might be money at the end of it all. There is money in this story, but it’s the lottery “winner” alone who ends up paying out.

You might be wondering what would happen if you decide to continue writing to the scammers – “just in case” there’s some mistake, and you have REALLY won 1.5 million dollars in a lottery you never entered.

Well, I’ve taken the liberty of doing that for you, and I will explain how each part of a typical lottery scam works.

The initial e-mail will look something like this.

From: Mr. John Pecho <letiantangle02@hotmail.com>
Reply To: claimsofficelottery@yahoo.com.hk
Subject: CONGRATULATIONS!!! YOU WON
Sent: Friday, November 4, 2005 2:17 PM
FROM: THE DIRECTOR NATIONAL LOTTERY/THELOTTERY INTERNATIONAL WORLD WIDE. REF: EL3/9318/05 BATCH:8/163/EL. Attn ear Sir/Madam We are pleased to inform you of the result of the Lottery Winners International programs held on the 31/10/2005. Your e-mail address attached to ticket number: EL-23133 with serial number: EL-123542, batch number: EL-35, lottery ref number: EL-9318 and drew Lucky numbers 7-1-8-36-4-22 which consequently won in the 1st category, you have therefore been approved for a lump sum pay out of US$1,500,000.00 (One Million, Five Hundred Thousand United States dollars) CONGRATULATIONS!!! YOU WON Due to mix up of some numbers and names, we ask that you keep your winning information confidential from the public until your claims has been processed and your money Remitted to you. This is part of our security protocol to avoid double claiming and unwarranted abuse of this program by some participants. All participants were selected through a computer ballot system drawn from over 40,000 company and 20,000,000 individual email addresses and names from all over the world. This promotional program takes place every year. This lottery was promoted and sponsored by a group of successful electronic dealers in partnership with micro Soft Corporation. We hope with part of your winning, you will take part in our next year US$20 million international lottery. To file for your claim, please contact our paying officer. Mr. PAUL Steve (Lottery Director) Scotland Lottery Company Victoria. 1902AB, TEL: + 44 7040125952 FAX; + 44 7040125952 Email: claimsofficelottery1@yahoo.com.hk Remember, all winning must be claimed not later than 15th of November, 2005.After this date all unclaimed funds will be included in the next stake. Please note in order to avoid unnecessary delays and complications please remember to quote your reference number and batch numbers in all correspondence. Furthermore, should there be any change of address do inform our agent as soon as possible. Congratulations once more from our members of staff And thank you for being part of our promotional program. Note: Anybody under the age of 16 is automatically Disqualified. Yours Sincerely, Mr.John Pecho. For Management (Please note that all winning cash claims are subjected to lottery tax payments which are payable upfront only) N.B. *** Below are some questions and answers often associated with potential winners **** Question 1. How did you get my email Address Answer 1. We got your email address through your email company/isp during our email draws, before determining eligible winners Question 2. How did i win without playing or applying for the lottery game? Answer 2. Your winning of $1,500,000. (One Million Five Hundred Thousand United States Dollars) is part of the give away cash offered yearly by micro soft corporation to show our appreciation for our customers nation wide. Question 3. How do i claim my winning price? Answer 3. All prices should be claimed by contacting our claims agent on the above email.

You will notice a couple of things straight away. Firstly, the “from” address (From: Mr. John Pecho <letiantangle02@hotmail.com>), and the “reply-to” (Reply To: claimsofficelottery@yahoo.com.hk) address are different. This occurs because the scammer fully expects the account he sends the mail from ( the spamming account) to be shut down fairly quickly by the mail providers for spamming. It is not just you who will receive this mail, but thousands of others. If this occurs, he will still receive victims replies at his safe account, which does not send out mass emails, and will therefore be less likely to be suspended.

The scammers use software to extract e-mail addresses from guest books, and other online resources, as well as purchasing them from marketing companies. Notice how also the spamming address is letiantangle02@hotmail.com. It’s a pretty safe bet that letiantangle01@hotmail.com exists also, and is also used for spamming victims.

In this example, the person writing to you about your win starts off as “Mr. John Pecho”, but directs you to his “paying agent”, a “Mr. PAUL Steve”. For some reason, Mr Steve’s name is in capitals, and his title changes to lottery director mid- email.

Even if your winning e-mail does not contain glaring mistakes like this one, the most telling line in this email is the following:

“(Please note that all winning cash claims are subjected to lottery tax payments which are payable upfront only)”

In most countries, lottery winnings are tax-free, and it is safe to say that a demand for taxes upfront is a sure sign of a scam. No officially sanctioned lottery would demand such fees, and certainly not in advance of a prize payment. A common variation of the theme would be for the scammers to demand payment of “courier fees” to send the victim his winning cheque or cash. However the advance fee is explained, the kernel of the scam remains the same – pay upfront to get your winnings!

These scammers have been clever enough to try explain away the usual questions the more alert victim might have at this point in their initial email:

“N.B. *** Below are some questions and answers often associated with potential winners ****
Question 1. How did you get my email Address
Answer 1. We got your email address through your email company/isp during our email draws, before determining eligible winners

Question 2. How did i win without playing or applying for the lottery game?
Answer 2. Your winning of $1,500,000. (One Million Five Hundred Thousand United States Dollars) is part of the give away cash offered yearly by micro soft corporation to show our appreciation for our customers nation wide.

Question 3. How do i claim my winning price?
Answer 3. All prices should be claimed by contacting our claims agent on the above email.”

I replied with a typical victim-style email, as follows:

“HI

I am a winner in your draw. What do I do next t receive my winnings?
Thank you

Joe Soap”

They waste little time replying with this:

“CLAIMS AGENT
THE LOTTERY INTERNATIONAL/NATIONAL LOTTERY
RE: WINNING PRIZE OF $1.5 MILLION USD ONLY.

ATTENTION WINNER,

WE HEREBY CONGRATULATE YOU OVER YOUR WINNING. KINDLY BE INFORMED
THAT YOUR WINNING FUNDS HAS BEEN PACKAGED INTO TWO METALIC TRUNK
BOXES WHICH CONTAINS $1 MILLION AND ALSO 5 HUNDRED THOUSAND $USD, MAKING A TOTAL OF $1.5M (ONE MILLION FIVEN HUNDRED THOUSAND UNITED STATES DOLLARS).

FIND ATTACHED THE TRUNK BOXES CONTAINING THE WINNING PRIZES OF $1.5 MILLION. IN ORDER TO PROCESS YOUR WINNING, YOU ARE REQUIRED TO SEND US:

YOUR FULL NAME(S)
YOUR ADDRESS
YOUR AGE
YOUR OCCUPATION
NAME AND POSITION HELD IN YOUR COMPANY
STATE AND COUNTRY OF RESIDENCE

UPON PROVISION OF THE REQUESTED DETAILS, WE SHALL ISSUE YOU A
WINNING CERTIFICATE SUBSEQUENTLY AFTER WHICH YOUR $1.5 MILLION
WOULD BE PACKAGED AND SENT TO YOU VIA A STANDARD COURRIER COMPANY.

THANK YOU AND GOD BLESS YOU.
MR. SMITH
LOTTERY CLAIMS CORDINATOR.

(winningclaims@winning.com)”

Note yet another email address. This one looks quite official, but is in fact from mail.com (www.mail.com). This provider makes it very easy to concoct relatively official-sounding mail addresses, which is a favourite trick of the scammers.

They might also, at this point, ask you for bank details, or for photo i.d. scans ( drivers’ licence, passport etc). Under no circumstances should such information be divulged to them, and NEVER send them your photo i.d. These are all too often used against other victims.

I sent them on some fake details:

“HI

My details are as follows:

FULL NAME(S) Joe Soap
YOUR ADDRESS:
5, Stapolaim Lawns
Portmarnock
Dublin 1
Ireland

YOUR AGE :57
YOUR OCCUPATION: Civil servant ( retired)
NAME AND POSITION HELD IN YOUR COMPANY: exevutive clerical Officer
STATE AND COUNTRY OF RESIDENCE: Ireland

I don't remember buying a ticket for this lottery. How come I won so much money? Don't get me worng, I'm not turning my nose up at it!
Whats next?

Joe Soap”

Again, the scammers were prompt in their reply:

“Dear Winner,

While we are in the process of filing and processing your claims certificate, we will like you to once again confirm your information as provided by you.

If this is correct, the information would reflect on your winning certificate
after which it would be sent to you via email, and not postal in order for you
to meet up with the deadline for the claims of your lottery winning prizes.

The metallic trunk boxes shown to you would subsequently be deposited in a safe security/courier company, and would be shipped directly to your doorstep in your residential location as provided.

Please note that all handling and administrative cost of shipping the
consignment to you would be paid by YOU only, as we are prohibited by the
lottery policy to deduct all charges from your winning in order to ensure a
transparent claim.
While your claims is being processes, we advice you take a look at a couple of pictures containing the lottery national members, and also our past winners.

Upon your response, your winning certificate would be issued subsequently after which further information would be provided to you. Once again, accept our hearty Congratulations.
Thank you and Stay Blessed.

Please, Confirm Your Information Below:

=====================================
FULL NAME(S) Joe Soap
YOUR ADDRESS: 5, Stapolaim Lawns Portmarnock
Dublin 1 Ireland
=====================================
QUESTIONS:
YOU DID NOT BUY ANY TICKET. YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS "xxxx @hotmail.com" WAS AUTOMATICALLY SELECTED RANDOMLY THROUGH OUR EMAIL BALLOT SYSTEM.”

Again, a nifty explanation to my question about how I came to be so lucky as to win a lotto I never entered – when I never win the ones I DO enter!!

They then send me several emails as they sense I am about to pay out:

“CLAIMS AGENT
THE LOTTERY/NATIONAL LOTTERY
RE: WINNING PRIZE OF $1.5 MILLION USD ONLY.

IN ORDER TO AVOID DOUBLE CLAIMS OF WINNINGS, KINDLY SEND US THE BELOW DETAILS:

YOUR WINNING DATE
YOUR WINNING REF: NO.
YOUR FULL NAME(S)
YOUR ADDRESS
YOUR AGE
YOUR OCCUPATION
NAME AND POSITION HELD IN YOUR COMPANY
STATE AND COUNTRY OF RESIDENCE

THANK YOU”

This one came from yet another address!! There are a couple of reasons for this. As it comes closer to payout time for the victim, they want to be sure there are no problems with mail addresses being reported for fraud or spam. Also, because they often work in gangs, the gang leader, or oga, will want to make sure he is kept in the loop, so that his soldiers do not receive payments from victims behind his back.

Then I receive some pictures of previous winners receiving their cheques, which have obviously been gleaned from other genuine lottery websites or similar, just so I can believe their story a lttle more!

This example is unusual as it combines a lottery scam with a "trunk-box" scam, probably because the scammer has some trunk box photos etc handy to back up his claims. However, the photos I recieved were of "winners" recieving cheques!

The upshot is, if its too good to be true, then it most likely ISN'T true!

Len Brennan

[FW Admin]

The email below is another example of a lottery scammer introducing the so-called "fees" that are "required" to release the non-existent winnings:

De: Clarence Lucas [mailto:esqclarencelucas@seznam.cz]
Enviado el: Miércoles, 05 de Julio de 2006 10:08 a.m.
Para: <removed>
CC: esqclarencelucas@azillo.net
Asunto: FINAL PAYMENT ORDER / AWAITING YOUR PROMPT RESPONSE.

Attn: <removed>

Dear Winner

This is to inform you that the payment schedule and the Irrevocable Certified Bank Cheque for your winning is out since yesterday and suppose to be couriered to you same yesterday, but all winners' irrevocable Certified Bank Cheques were indefinitely stopped yesterday from being Couriered out to the winners by the order of the Authority.

According to the Authority, no Certified Bank Cheque is eligible to be Couriered to the winners without being insured in accordance with the newly (2006) implemented Monetary policy of the United Kingdom, while it is also based on the huge amount involved and the Authority policy on all winners Certified Bank Cheque to be insured by all winners before it can be couriered to them in their respective Country.
<this is utter balderdash; no such policy, or similar legislation, exists>

In view of this, all winners are now required to compulsorily pay for the insurance and the Value Added Tax charges for the Certified Bank Cheque of their won prize which will be couriered to them at their respective location via Courier services upon payment of the mandatory fee, thus as soon as you forward to us the evidence of your payment for the insurance and the Value Added Tax, then the irrevocable Certified bank Cheque of $1.5MUSD for your won price will be couriered to you through your designated contact address within two working days of your payment confirmation, upon the completion of your won prize's Insurance policy by our Attorney. Meanwhile, thus find below is the invoice of the charges fee for your perusal.

It should be noted that the insurance fee is $1,260USD as 0.084% imposed on all winners' won prize by the Authority, while the Value Added Tax (VAT) is $126USD, all totaling One thousand three hundred and eighty six American Dollar ($1,386USD) only, and the payment should be urgently made via WESTERN UNION MONEY TRANSFER agent in your area, in the name of our company's Attorney: FERDINAND DANIEL, Contact Address: 112 High Holborn, London WC1V 6JS, U.K., payable in London, United Kingdom.
<firstly, the V.A.T. as calculated above is completely wrong; the rate is different. Notice the Western Union cash payment "required" - the scammer's friend, and the most insecure method of cash transfer available. The criminals can collect at any Western Union agency in the world, and often supply fake ID or are able to bribe the agent.>

Furthermore, in view of the fact that the deadline set aside for all claims to be received is drawing near, all winners are expected to urgently pay their mandatory fee as stated above via WESTERN UNION MONEY TRANSFER only, so as to enable us process their won prize on time before the expiration date of the deadline set aside for all winners to claims their won prize.
<This sense of urgency is always conveyed by the scammers to try and get their victims to become worried that they may "lose" their potential "winnings">

Besides, the advisably period for all winners' won prize to be processed and finalized should not be more than 5 working days before the expiration of the given deadline (12th of July 2006), without which any won prize not processed and finalized before the aforesaid period may cause unwarranted situation to the said winners' won prize and finally make it to be forfeited and returned back to the UK NATIONAL LOTTO PROMOTION as unclaimed won prize.

In view of this, all winners are hereby advised to promptly pay their charges fee as advised above and send to me by email the evidence of payment (the payment receipt or the payment information) as urgent as possible, so as to enable me finish up on time all the needful / necessary things regarding your won prize processing and also to give the go ahead for the release of your won prize upon the completion of the Insurance policy here in London, because the earlier you send to us the Insurance and the Value Added Tax fee of your won prize, the quicker the insurance policy of your won prize will be processed and finalized before the expiration of the deadline set aside for all winner to claim their won prize.

Meanwhile, find attached to this mail are also the 'Specimen' copies of the entire original Certifications / the Letter of Authority forwarded to our Company's Foreign Service manager by the UK NATIONAL LOTTO PROMOTION concerning your won prize to be couriered to you, this that legally authorized our Company to courier to you the Certified Bank Cheque in the sum of One Million, Five Hundred Thousand-American Dollars ($US1, 500,000) only as your lottery's won prize upon the aforesaid mandatory payment.
<Faked electronic scans of so-called documents are very easy to produce>

More importantly, the purpose of having to insure the Certified Bank Cheque is not only to guide against missing in transit, this that is an advantage to all the winners but it is also based on the newly implemented Monetary Policy of the United Kingdom.

Finally, you are advised again to promptly send your evidence of payment to us so as to enable our Attorney to start up with the necessary procedure needed for the insurance policy of all Certifications / Certified Bank Cheque of your won prize to be couriered to you concerning your won prize.

Awaiting your prompt response,

Congratulations once again.

Yours Faithfully,

Mr. Clarence Lucas Esq.
Tel: +44 7040116851
Fax: +44 8704322646