EuroMillions Lottery Scam:
The Letter & Cheque
Have you received a letter claiming you have won on the EuroMillions Lottery? With a cheque enclosed 'to cover taxes'?
Quite simply, it's a scam, and quite a poor one at that. No genuine lottery company would EVER behave in this way.
The exact claim in the letter can vary, but tends to be 'you have won $250,000 on EuroMillions, the European Lottery'. It also encloses what looks like a genuine check for around $3,500, and requests you contact them.
The cheque is supposedly to cover something ridiculous like 'non-residence taxes on the winnings' - obviously the cheque is fraudulent/stolen.
The idea is that you bank the cheque, and then feel confident enough to send the scammers some money for 'processing your claim'. After all, you can't lose right? WRONG. Even if the cheque clears at first, it will be traced later and once it's been spotted as fraud YOU will lose the money that was credited. And you will get charged fees for the bounced cheque too!
IMPORTANT
I cannot state this clearly enough:-
You NEVER, EVER have to pay out money to receive a lottery prize. NEVER.
Needless to say, do not bank the cheque, and do not provide these people with any personal information.
What Can I Do To Stop The Scammers?
Report it to your local law enforcement agency, and postal authorities. Depending on your country this may get some action, or it may not - but if you don't report it then nothing will happen, and there's a good chance someone else will get caught out soon I'm afraid.
Sorry if all this is a disappointment to you - but as ever, if you receive a notification that you have won anything in a lottery you didn't enter, it's a scam. Never, never pay a 'processing fee' or provide your bank details to receive a prize. Genuine lotteries do not ask you to pay them before they pay you.
Be Aware & You're Safe
It's often fairly easy to spot the lottery scammers, mainly because they have to make themselves untraceable to the police. So they only ever use free email addresses, cell phones, and accommodation addresses. You just have to add up all the signs if you're ever unsure. You can find more details of how to spot email based lottery scams here.
UPDATE: The Scammers Get Personal!
A variation of this scam has appeared using the banner graphic from our site as their letter heading. The particularly stupid thing about this variation of the EuroMillions lottery scam, is that we don't run any kind of lottery (we don't even run any syndicates, we just review them!).
OK, Enough Negative Stuff - Back To Winning The Lottery
Let's leave the EuroMillions lottery scams behind. What we all really need is a proven better way to play the EuroMillions. And that DOES actually exist, without any silly promises or crazy claims. Read our EuroMillions syndicate reviews or learn how to buy EuroMillions tickets online without being ripped off.
