Warning: Don't Fall for Email Lottery Scams

The one thing that us internet lovers have in common is junk email! We sign up for all kinds of cool stuff on the internet and end up with 100's of junk emails crowding our inbox. Well, one day while clearing out my junk email box ( this should have been a sign) and I found an email with the subject: Your email address has won! Curious about what this could mean, I opened the email and read that my email address was drawn in a lottery and that I had won 2,500,000 dollars!. You can guess my reaction, I started screaming and crying, showing my whole family the email. Everyone was so happy for me, we started talking about the house that we would buy and the new cars we would have and all the things I wanted to do with that money. The email had told me to send my contact information to the agent that would be handling my claim for my money. Everything sounded so real. The agent email me back the next day saying that the courier service was ready to delever my payment, but I had to pay a small fee ($400) for insurance.

I had some savings at the time, so I was willing to pay the money. I did everything that the agent told me to do, I sent the $400 by Western Union to someone named Tom Smith ( classic fake name) and email the agent the comformation number of the transaction. The agent then emailed me back the next day telling me that I should recieve my check in 5 days. It has been a year since then and I still have not recieved my 2,500,000 check! I was so heartbroking. I felt like a fool and was out of $400. For a month after that last email with the fake "agent" I send about 200 emails to that email address and never got a reply. I started doing my research, which I should have done in the first place, and found out the "courier service" went out of business in 1982. With shame in my heart, I broke down and told my family everything I had found out in my reseach. This happened to me in March of 2006 and eventhough it has taking me a year to get over it, I decided to warn others about these type of scams. I do not want anyone to go through what I went through. Below, I am going to post two examples of the types of email to beware of. Some of the scammers even try to use that names of legit businesses to get you to think that what they are telling you is real. Here are the examples:

The Free Lotto Sweepstakes,
PO Box 42 Peter borough
SE15 2UD
UNITED KINGDOM

Ref No: MELI-T/ 17-F044262312
Batch No:901/00319/HLP
Zonal Draw No: GMLA2-003
Grand Draw No: 12099

Dear Winner,

This mail is to bring to your notice that your email emerged as one of
our winning email address in our lotto sweepstakes programme that
made you automatically a winner of the sum of £500.000.00(G.B.P) which
is equivalent to ($917,956.00 USD).

In other to claim your won prize from the lottery board you are required
to fill out the claims processing form and send it to our claims
officer here in the UK with the details below:

Name Of Claims Officer: Paul Ferguson

Email address : paulfergusondept@yahoo.co.uk

Below is the claims form you are required to fill:

PAYMENT PROCESSING FORM
1.FULL NAMES:__________________________________
2.ADDRESS:_____________________________________________
3.SEX:_______________
4.AGE:________
5.MARITAL STATUS:___________________
6.OCCUPATION:________________________
7.E-MAIL ADDRESS:_____________________________
8.TELEPHONE NUMBER:_____________________
9.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF COMPANY/INDIVIDUAL___________
10.AMOUNT WON:___________________________________
11. COUNTRY________________________________

Note that you are automatically disqualified if you are below 18 years
of age and illegal dissemination of this mail is highly prohibited.

Sincerely,
Greg Smith
On line Coordinator
Free Lotto Sweepstakes

(This is the type of email that got me. Beware, beware, beware! You have not won nothing! This is all lies.)

Euro Million Loteria Award
Paseo De La Castellana
15-89, 28008 Madrid,Spain Branch.
Ref. N?: ES/007/05/12/MAD.
Batch. N?: GHT/2907/333/05.
www.loteria.com

Prize And Award Notification!!

YOUR E-MAIL ADDRESS WON THELOTTERY.
We wish to congratulate you over your email success in our computer
BALLOTING SWEEPSTAKE held on May 29th ,2007.
This is a millennium scientific computer game in which email addresses
were used.
It is a promotional program aimed at encouraging internet users;
therefore you do not need to buy ticket to enter for it.

Your email address attached to ticket star number (9901-0148-790-691)
drew the EUROMILLION lucky numbers 3-19-26-49-50
which consequently won the draw in the Second category.
You have been approve for the star prize of EUR 787,248.26. (Seven
Hundred And Eighty Seven housand, Two Hundred And Fourty Eight
Euros,Twenty Six
Cents) CONGRATULATIONS !!!

You are advised to keep this winning very confidential until you
receive your lump prize in your account or optional cheque issuance to you.
This is a protective measure to avoid double claiming by people you
may tell as we have had cases like this before.
You are required to provide the information below:

Name, Telephone Number, Fax Number, Wining Ticket Number, Reference
Number and Amount Won.

This information For processing of your winning fund should be sent to
our registered claim agent in address below.

Guarantee Trust Agency.
Mr.Cliff Branssen.
Address: Sin Numero Madrid Spain.
E-mail: cliffbranssen110@aim.com

Remember, all winning must be claimed not later than June 24th, 2007.
Please note, in order to avoid unnecessary delays and complications,
remember to quote your reference number and batch number in all
correspondence. Furthermore, should there be any change of address do
inform our agent as soon as possible.
ONCE AGAIN CONGRATULATIONS.

Best Regard,
Mrs. Emily Simon,
Lottery Co-Odinator.

The information transmitted is intended only for the person or entity
to whom or which it is addressed. Unauthorised use,
disclosure or copying is strictly prohibited. The sender accepts no
liability for the improper transmission of this communication nor for
any delay in its receipt.

( See how the scammers do! The give you a "deadline" to pressure into responding faster. They just want you money faster!)

This is just the begin for me as far as shouting out about these scams. In my next article, I will be giving you a lot more details about this type of scam and examples the "next step" emails you get when you respond to these emails. I will be writing other articles about other types of scams as well in the near future. If you would like me to post other scam emails or have an question about my experience with this scam, let me know by emailing me a portiaallen0@lycos.com .