Last week I got notification of a lottery win from abroad, it was quite substantial and there was no cost in the processing of the money. I had not entered any competition or contest so I was suprised at the email I got. I thought GREAT!!
So I answered the email and was assurred that I had indeed won the money and after giving my details the money would be put into my account. Don't panic my friend, the bank details I gave them was an account that has only enough in it to keep the account active. I am cautious in giving out my details.
All was going well untill the bank in the UK went to deposit the money into my account, then the bombshell hit. Apparently my bank account only accepts NZ dollars and as the prize was in GBP (Great British Pounds) I had to pay a fee for exchanging the money into NZ dollars so that it could be transferred.
The transfer fee was around $500.00 and I couldn't afford it. I wrote to the paying bank to ask for help but couldn't get any help because I was not a member of the bank.
So I lost out. I thought that if the email said there was no fee for claiming my prize it would all go through without a hitch. No such luck. I couldn't afford the fee for converting the money so I lost out completely. And I don't think that is very fair. If I won the prize then I should be given the prize without having to front up some money to convert one currency to another.
Do you think that I was cheated out of my money? Have you ever had this happen to you? It stinks.!!!
HUGZ from Kitten1954
[question posted by kitten1954]
responses and comments:
If you won a contest which you did not ene, then it was probably a scam. I wouldn't feel cheated or losing omething I didn' know I had or wasn't expecting. If someone told me that I won some lottery in which I did not even enter, I would not eliee i. I would see it as a scam, and I would report i to the proper authorities. [danishcanadian]
watch out cause i've seen on tv where people were charged by the bank for the funds that they didnt get. and owed the bank! so, this can happen even if you have no money in that bank. [bunnybon7]
those lottery wins are FAKE....i get an email once a week from a different address about the same win...actually I read it somewhere too where they said it was fake and that the person sending the info is trying to get your bank info to TAKE your money...Don't ever ever ever fall for that again. If you didn't enter then how could you win, especially a lotto from another country...Sorry that had to happen to you, hope next time you wont fall for it, it coulda been worse if you werent so smart to give a low account or if they tried to overdraft you leaving u with extra fees.. [lindsaykaye82]
Kitten, that was a scam. If you didn't enter a lottery then you know it was a scam.. and they wanted your $500 and would have given you nothing in return. I think I am right here and I'm glad you didn't get scammed. [OreoCookie3]
I get emails all the time that I won a lottery from some other country. I figure it is some kind of scam so I delete the message. $500.00 is a lot of money to pay them. I would be afarid of them taking all of my money. [Shaun72]
I always just delete all those kind of emails. I figured there was no way I could win something I never entered. I don't trust a lot of emails I get. [Ruthep]
I get three or four of these a week... I'd be a bajillionare if I'd actually win all the lotteries my email tells me I won. Some of them use an obsolete email address I haven't used for 10 years... still the same account but different extension, so they buy email lists, and very old ones at that. This is what's making the identity theft problem so prevalent... these people get bank account numbers and other private information and you never hear from them again. I can't win anything I didn't enter a contest for... and many of these things are actually money laundering. [katiedoubleu]
You weren't cheated out of your money as you were about to fall for that scam. They just want your bank account info and the $500 fee you would never have seen a dime please do not fall for these everyone get those emails all the time. [luvstochat]
Sorry but in this day and age of countless email scams I do not know how anyone could respond to such an obvious scam. I get dozens of them but never ever respond. Somehow the scam is involved in the $500.00 "fee". At least you were not gullible enough to believe it and send them any money, [whiteheather39]
That was the scam, you went as far as you could go, because you could not afford $500.00. If you had it and sent it to them, you would have not received any money, they would. Your $500.00. They would tell everyone regardless of where you live that the money would have to be converted, and just like you they would ask for a monetary amount, you give them the money they give you nothing. Good thing you did not have it, because they would have taken it and moved on to the next victim. [sudalunts]
This is a nice scam, asking for $500 to get some money converted into another currency. It's a nice scam. Good thing you did not pay $500 to see if the money was indeed going to be transferred. I hope you don't pay any money. [underdogtoo]
Yes your right it is a nice scam. The crooks are getting very smart, when one method doesn't work they think up another one to try and get you. [howard96h]
Hi kitten1954! Oh tough luck dear friend! It is still sounds a scam to me because the bank can always subtract the amount of the conversion fee from the amount you won. It is that simple if it is a legitimate transaction. Good thing that you didn't fall for it, you will be cheated if you paid for the conversion fee and then found out later there is no cash deposited in your account. But still, if I am in your shoes I will wonder somehow just like you. wink Take care always..God Bless! [faith210]
As other people have said already that was a scam. I think you should probably think about changing your bank account now that they have your details. You'll never win a lottery that you haven't entered. You have to buy a ticket to enter the UK National Lottery and even then it's highly unlikely that you'll win anything substantial. Here's a website about your chances of winning the lottery - http://lottery.merseyworld.com/Info/Chances.html Apparently there's a 1 in 56.7 chance of winning just £10, and that's when you've paid a £1 for a ticket. I actually think you had a lucky escape. It's a good thing you didn't send the money. [crispeater]
rolleyesAwwww, poor kitten. I didn't win it either. Of course, I didn't respond since I knew I didn't enter it. :-) You're so right, though. If someone actually did win, there wouldn't be the fee and the money would be given out promptly. Scammers and spammers are the worst, aren't they?rolleyes [kenzie45230]
Did you ever stop to wonder why you would win a contest that you never entered? These e-mails have been going out for quite some time. I've gotten half a dozen of them and, in fact, I got one from Canada. There was a phone number that I, of course, called and had to pay for. The person who answered the phone said they had no idea about any contest so I called the bank where the prize money was supposedly held. It turns out that there was an account with money in it that had been opened by the Canadian company, but it had been closed out. I explained what had happened to the bank and they said they would follow up to find out what happened. Thankfully, I never gave out my account information. Even if you have a bank account with a small amount of money, once that information is out there, there are ways of getting other personal information on you such as your social Security number and credit card information. Had you actually paid out the $500 they said you owed them to transfer the money (who has ever heard of such a thing), chances are there would be no prize money any way and you would have been out $500. Count yourself lucky that you didn't do that. [wachit14]
Kitten, I am glad you gave details of your account that held no money. This is a scam email. I have had plenty of them. you would have paid your $500 transfer fee and gotten nothing in return. [Goodie123]
I get these emails at least once a week. They are all scams. I just delete them. It would be nice to win some money but I guess we just have to make it the good old fashioned way. [patgalca]
Hi Kitten, I am glad you know that this is a scam. I have to laugh when I watch Judge Judy, you would think after all this time and tons of notices telling people NOT to fall for them people still do every day. [howard96h]
IT'S A SCAM!!! You weren't cheated out of anything. If you had given them the $500 to convert to NZ, then you would have been cheated!!! (or ripped off) [LadyMarissa]
it had to be a scam. I'm glad you didn't have the money to transfer it because you would have lot the money. These scammers are sneaky! If I enter something, I keep a file of it. [kimberlylynn]
This is always a scam! If you have won a contest and didn't enter then they are trying to get your MO! Don't give them any information.....money, bank account info...nothing! Report them to the BBB! [thayes1106]
Oh kitten, I guess by now enough people have told you that you were scammed! I get those every day from UK, Algeria, Spain, you name it. I just delete them. That is just one of the many online scams that people get sent to them over and over. Next time you see something that looks anything like that please just delete it. If you haven't entered anything and someone is telling you that you have won something you can be sure it is a scam! [Opal26]
hi there mum it would be rather nice to have the amount won & i think that if it is due to the transfer between british pound & the nz dollar, the exchange rate should be free @ this end / @ the least they could have put it in nz dollars. latas lamb101 xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo [lamb101]
i guess its one of the scams my friend..i get lots of e-mails stating i won but i never bother myself to entertain...if you didn't join any contest then its impossible to win..plus, if it was deposited on your bank account the bank will automatically deduct the fee from the money that was delievered to your account as far as i know... [angel_of_charm]
Well my friend it is a Scam! I have been receiving e-mails of that sort every day and not just one but even 10 or more a day but how can I believe them when I never joined any contest of that sort. Any e-mails I receive saying I won in this lottery or whatever contest I always delete even without reading. Once you give them your account details, either way... are they will do something to ransack your account or they will ask you big fees with the enticement that bigger amount will be deposited to your account but the deposit will never never happened. You end up losing the money you paid them and the cheaters are laughing their heart out. So beware next time around! [salonga]
Hi dear how are u well these are lot of spasm and cheated mails running out and u knew u have not participated any such thing then how u could won thwe prize other thing, if UK bank pays in GBP then ur bank can easily convert it in Charges and deduct the charges and mention it in process fee, same goes with UK bank, they could have adjusted in proceeding And its great that u did not Pay US$500, otherwise u might be crying over the Loss. and i wonder how much the price money was that they need to have US$500 as transfer fee Anyway, Glad that u dod not loose anything of not gain anything cheer up and share HUGShappy Take care [cupid74]
Yeah u r right be very careful about those Nasty peoples [cupid74]
I always try and remember the policy, "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is." And also, I would never pay anything to someone who says they are going to give me something. If someone has some money for me, any fees associated with the transaction can be deducted from the funds before it is transferred to me, period. [Browisn]
Believe me I have also received such kind of notice. At first I was elated and could not content my joy knowing that I would soon be an instant millionaire. I did communicate with them to arrange for the transfer of funds to my account. they told me to remit some money as processing fees, this is when it struck me that these people are out to get my money instead . Be very careful with these conmen. They prey on innocent people. Delete their email and don't even open to check the contents of their email. [zandi458]
im not sure, but it sounds like a scam if you truly won something you wouldnt have to pay anything to receive it and its really strange that you didn't even inter anything and suddenly you win something [apples99]
It was a scam. International lottery is the oldest scam in the book. It is actually illegal to enter into a lottery in another country. It's a good thing that you couldn't afford it or that $500 would be gone. If someone says you won a contest that you didn't enter, it is always a scam. Don't be fooled by that crap. The lottery that you supposively won probably doesn't even exsist. [_sketch_]
hello, nothing in the life comes free.if not this,there would have been some other glitch.i am try not to sound like a pessimist but i had a bitter experience.we had to give our credit card details to open an account,somehow the other lottery company got ho;d of it and the membership fee was deducted from our credit card and we could not do anything about it. [riyasam]
I think that if something looks too good to be true, it usually is. Since you didn't enter a competition, you can't expect to win money and must assume it is a scam to either get money out of you or to register your email address for future scams. Most of those scams seem to operate based on greed and if you didn't pay any money, you were not ripped off. [Piscesmoon]
Kitten Dear One, Can you say SCAM. I get those things all the time, and probably everyone else here does too. The UK Lottery, Ebay Lottery, People from Africa, etc.say I have been chosen to receive an inheritance because someone died. All they want in the end is you financial info. If you had had the Converting money, I guarantee you, the minute you deposited it, it would have disappeared forever, and that would have been the last you heard from these scammers. If you don't believe me ask your ISP provider, or your bank, they will tell you, people get taken for thousands everyday. [olivebranch56]
It is probably just a ploy to get your bank information! All they need is your address and phone number. Ignore it and be glad! thumbdownblushshocked [olivemai]
The e-mail you got was a scam. How can you win a lottery if you haven't even entered. They want your money and if you would have paid that $500 they would have come up with another 'problem' and tried to get more. Never give out your details when you get an e-mail like that. have a nice day [bieke81]
I think you would have been cheated if you paid the $500 'transfer fee'. I don't think that was genuine. If it was your own bank asking for the fee, that would be different. If you were expected to pay it into an account at another bank first, you would never have received any prize money, you would just lose your 'fee' and you would have no way of tracing the real details of the person who sent out the email. Many people have been defrauded by thinking those emails are real. If you have not entered a lottery you can't have won. [paid2write]
poor Kitten, I get that stuff all the time be it online or offline and the moment I get it it goes straight into my virtual or real wastebasket. I know that there must be a catch somewhere in these things and off they go in a minute. [book1962]
You didn't win any money, unfortunately. You were informed of winning to attract your attention so that they could then get money out of you! That's how the scams work. Nobody gives anyone something for nothing. Furthermore, anyone who just tells you of a prize that you did not even enter for has a very suspect ulterior motive. The best thing in such cases is to trash the 'good news'! You weren't cheated at all because there was nothing there in the first place for you to have. [MsCYPRAH]
Thank God for small mercies. You have been saved by not having 500 dollars. Believe me, every other day we get such mails. I even once told them not to deposit the money in my bank as I was in london and would collect the cheque myself. That of course was a lie, but that shook them and I stopped hearing from them. You would have been poorer by 500 dollars if you would have agreed to pay. Alls well that ends well. [ketybhagat]
oh my, those emails are scams... So don't you believe it my friend, it's all a hoax.. I too get those emails and I just delete it all. You should too. There are plenty of unscrupulous characters out there out to get you're hard earned money thru the promise of an amount you apparently 'won'. We even get text messages saying the same, its so sad that there are many people who's willing to compromise another person's security for their own gains.. It's a good thing you didn't shell out the $500 or else you would have totally lost out. [chaime]
It is sad to know. But I think you are lucky becuase you did not lost your own hard earned money. It is a scam, if you provided the money for them I am sure that you will lost the money. I am also getting several emails like this. I checked with google search for information, for just putting search words as scam lottery. Within minitues I could find out the same type of letters which is received by me as shown in the list of lottery scams. So be proud not to be cheated. All the best. [Sreekala]
Kitten ,all of the time we are warned not to take notice of these unscrupulous people,there are just fleeecing people left right and centre,we must listen to what we hear.The lotteries are a major source of trouble,and time and time again there are people that are being robbed of their savings and losing their livelyhood,so plases Kitten take heed [LOULOU323]
It's a scam, you was going to help them laundry money, it is a scam to change their money into american money, you gave them bank account information that they can use to get into your other accounts, never, never answer any of those emails, I get about a dozen a day. The information you give them, they use to get fake Id's, drivers license, and it has happen that some have an id in your name and have committed murder, leaving your id at the scene. If you had to pay a fee, then once you gave them $500. they was gone, don't you read about the scams on here, all lottery in UK is a scam, go google it and see what is happening. When you win a prize you don't have to pay, if there is a fee they pay it. Who was the transfer fee going to? There are so many scams on here, and when you answer it you give them more information they can use, they now know your email address, they can use it where they are and give their own password. No you wasn't cheated, you was scamed. [bdugas]
Oh kitten, this is one of the biggest scams out there. Thank goodness you DIDN'T have the $500 or you would have lost it. I don't think you were cheated out of anything because Honey, you didn't win anything. Count your lucky stars that you didn't send them the $500 and go close that bank account! If for some reason you gave them your social security number or any other important personal information (hopefully you didn't), go get a copy of your credit report and check it thoroughly. It's easy to get tricked up when the offer sounds too good to be true, but these overseas money scams are very common. ((Hugs)) [awonderfullife]
it is just a scam. we get this type of mail many times. all these are way to extract money from people who falls to these scams. never answer them or pay any money [subha12]
I feel you were most probably scammed ... I have a similar experience with the Nigerian scam ... I got a similar e-mail , but they told me to send 500$ for the courier which was a risk , so I asked my uncle in UK and he said that its scam carried out by Nigerian criminals living in UK. [lonelyfloyd]
I was scam also just like you, good thing you didnt pay $500 because u couldn't afford it!!Your so lucky because other people was scam and they got nothing but they exchang money.. so you must be thankful!!hehe!! [chinnyskinny]
This is a scam. Anytime they ask you to pay it is a scam. [tammytwo]
I think you did get cheated out of your money. I know it does stinks. But there is nothing you can do about it. That never happen to me because I never won any money to begin with. [spiderlizard22]
Hi kitten, I guess it's a spam..I got a lot of messages through txt and email that I won this and that but I never paid attention..I learned from a friend who tried to believed she won even if she was not joining anything or buying any ticket..She talked to the person and ask for personal information..So, she gave the bank account detailed but good thing also it has a very small amount there, after that the lady asked her to send her 6 calling cards so that they can do the transactions and she gave a pin number of 1 card and as time goes by, the lady kept on asking money so she stopped!sadsadsad [checapricorn]
I would keep an eye on your credit report for a while. The entity overseas now has your name and a bank account number, possibly an address too. This person can now apply for credit in your name and put you into debt, bigtime. Please please please! Don't ever ever give your information to someone you don't know. You say you were being careful, but you weren't. There are worse things than having your account drained. Delete those emails immediately. [Dissonance]
I have had those emails before and thought that they were scams. I gave them the correct information just to see if they would really deposit the money. Again the processing fee had to be paid first. NOw the funny thing is this, you have the money at your bank, why can't you pay for the fee with the money that you already have in you possion that was something that really bugged me. I give you the ok to use the money and you can't. What bank would not take that out of the money that they already have in their bank. I still think it was a scam. If you won the money for real, they would have made sure that you got it. Not something like the wrong type of currency would have stopped that transaction. [twallace]
Good day.... Why would you have to give money up front to convert the cash won. I mean wouldn't it be practical just to the deduct the fee from the lottery. I think that this is a scam no doubt and you would be wary of it. [blackmantra_x]
It sounds like a scam. Most banks have accounts in different denominations. So it is possible that your bank also has a British money account. That transfer fee sounds fishy. If you did not play the lottery, and did not enter the competition, it is a scam. So there really not any money anyway. A decent lottery would have given the money to you in your denomination and the bank would have allowed you to open an account in British Pounds. All you need to do is to take out a little New Zealand money, and have it transferred to British Pounds and you are there. [suspenseful]
I think you were so totally scammed. Check your bank account to make sure your money is still in it. Since you gave them all your personal information they may have just wanted to still your identity. I don't think you won any money. I keep getting those same e-mails all the time. On one of them I suggested they take all their fees out of the amount I won and send me a check out of what was left. I never heard from them again. These people are scammers. If it's to true to be real then it's probably a scam. [mlh8087]
Do not give any details!!!!! Why do people fall for this? So often I read in the news paper about people get cheated! This is how it works. They just send you an email claiming you have won the lottery. Doesn't it surprise you that you haven't entered any lottery? Then how could they get so much money to give you? (Please understand how lottery works) Then they ask you to pay some money as `transferring` charges or `conversion` charges (or some crap like that) After you pay they never get back to you. Many people fall prey to this. Trust me they try to cheat you. You were lucky to escape without having to pay anything. BE CAREFUL MY FRIEND! You will feel a whole lot worse `after` being cheated! [a3sachin]
You got away lightly. To the best of my knowledge if you had paid that $500 transfer fee upfront, you would never have heard from them again. From people paying money into my account from other countries in non GBP, what ever fee for legitimate transfer is normally taken from the base amount by the bank before the money is credited into your account. So say for instance if $500 was paid in, the bank convert it at the days exchange rate for the day, subtract their commission and admin fee and then credit what is left into the account. Ant transaction which involves an upfront fee, except when you purchase an item and have to pay for it, is a scam. [teezerob]
I also received a lot of E-mail in my Spam and I do the same thing out of my curiosity but it ended up to only a Scam mail so from that moment I never did read any of it, I deleted it without reading. [iyah10]
YES scam scam and SCAM!!! I get the emails and the fake checks in the mail and if your on hard times or something u really want to believe it but they are a scam and its a shame that these people have the access and smarts to rob people of their money and get their hopes up.... [mstgmagic]
You are fortunate that you did not have the $500 that they were supposedly charging you to convert the money. It was all a scam and they would have taken your money and ran with it. These kind of scams go on all the time. Please be wary of contests that you have won and not entered! That should have been a red light right there. I think you probably have learned from this. Good luck! [bmorehouse1]
You're lucky that you didn't have the $500. That was a scam. I receive a lot of those saying I have won such and such lottery every week. I have been receiving them for years... :) [mcspocky]
No it's a scam, just be VERY careful with the info you give, there's people out there stealing identities for a living. They only need to minimum amount of info and they got you. I seen this scam on the news and have recieved those in my e-mail also. I have had my identity stolen once before by these very same kind of crooks so just be careful and if you can... just avoid these emails altogether. [moondrop824]
Reading this makes me to believe that there was no prize to begin with. Of course if it was a real prize I would think that they could just take that amount out of your total prize. I think it is a scam and trying to get the $500 from you. I think if you had the money and would have sent it, that would be the last you heard from them and wouldn't receive your prize. [mlhuff12]
this was defo a scam, thats how scammers make money, by saying that you need to pay a fee. next time you get something like this, double check the address of who it is from and the subject line, because they do sometimes look the real thing,but you can tell if they are fake [OConnell87]
About ten percent of my spam email are things like this. [jmarquis]
I think it was a scam to get you to pay the 500 dollars and then you would have been out the 500 and no winnings in the bank either. I think if you win anything there should be no fees involved. Sorry that they had to get your hopes up just to have them burst your bubble later. [travibabiesgirl]
I believe that was a scam. I have received many of emails stating that and I never brought myself to do what you have done, just fear of it being a scam and them withdrawing money that I had in my account. I would not say that you were cheated out since you did not invest any money in it and you didn't receive the money seeing that it was a scam. [trisha_nava82]
Hey this does stink!! What I wouuld do is see if you could go back to that email and look up a number or address for whoever was promoting the prize money. Then try and contact them. Then if they DO have an adress then look it up under the bbb.com and see if they are legite. Sorry this has happened!!! [bigbusiness3544]
A win is a win and a prize is a prize and they shouldn't make you pay for jack. I hate to pee on your parade, but it sounds real rotten to me. [Savvynlady]
Sorry that happened to you, I already lost count on the emails I have received stating the same exact thing, I actually deleted 3 of them today, I hit the Spam button so if it comes back it goes into that folder, people are so rude now trying to get your information! I am sick of those dear sir/madam emails also talking about being a prince and having an inheritance that they need my help they obviously have no lives! [fit4lifein07]
Its a scam. They were trying to get 500.00 from you! Good thing you could not afford it or you would be very sorry you did that . [patricia4225]
That was totally scam. I have received similar emails before and up to now. I just ignored them for its a waste of time. [druids]
Why feel cheated. I get those type of emails all the time and they are all scams. If I dont enter something then how can I win some money. I never give out any banking info and you are lucky nothing bad happen. But dont feel upset because you wouldnt have gptton any money to begin with. [snoopy04]
My gut feeling tells me that you are ahead $500 by not paying the transfer fee. This sounds like a very dishonest offer. You send the money and in return you get nothing. It's probably a scam that is floating all over the world. I've had similar offers and deleted the email offer immediately. Sorry you feel as though you lost but in the longrun you are a winner. [carolbee]
I hope that is all you were cheated out of. I suppose you didn't have the $500 in your bank or you would have lost that no doubt. You never get anything for free. [lotterylover]
Hi Lottery lover I bet if they had cash it they would be owing the money back to the bank. I seen it happen to a lot of people. [marciascott]
Kitty are you the one with the twin? There was another person on here, her nsme was kitten or kitty? Anyway we got one of those Plublishers Clearing House Sweepstakes that said we won 5,889 the check looked real, but I knew it wasn't. I also google the name of the person that sent it. and it had several names for that person, and they did say it was a scam. I told my Husband if he cashes that check he will have to pay the money back. That check looked so real. It was suppose to be second prize winnings, then I got another letter, and it was another drawing, I throwed all of those letters in the trash. My girlfriend got a check in the mail saying she had won, she to it to the bank the bank cashed it, and now she has to pay that money back. she knew it wasn't her money. [marciascott]
Hi Kitten, These people are right. It is a SCAM and you would've been out your $500.00. Having worked in a financial institution, I KNOW for a fact that MANY people fall for this scam. They get these type lottery checks that are fraudulent, and some who have managed to deposit them find out later they are a fraud. If they have spent any money from the check, then they are responsible to pay back every penny to the financial institution, and it flags them to watch your account to see if you are involved in any type of fradulaent activity. It looks so good by the large amount they claim to give you, some had big plans to get out of current debt and think this is their way to get freed when acutally it is just a letdown when they find out it is NOT real! Our motto was " If it looks too good to be real, it probably is!!" [busyB4]
I say, "Easy come, easy go. Don't sweat it. If they could not give it to you in your currency without you having to pay, just forget about it. You gained nothing, but you also loss nothing either. [Rozie37]
YOU DIDN'T LOSE ANYTHING BUT UR TIME! I got sucked in as well, just last year. I was asked for an amount of money for the transfer (cant remember but it was a few hundred dollars). I was all excited at first, thinking im gonna be rich, this person from overseas actually called me at home and sounded very professional. I started to get suspicious as he kept calling me and pushing me to send the money to him immediately or I would lose the winnings, he even deposited $7,500.00 into my account just to prove he was genuine but that made me think, why was it ok for that $7,500 to get deposited into my account without fees and not the remainder. I ended up calling my bank and told them that I had won all this money, I told them where the money was coming from and that some money had been deposited. the bank asked me to hold (which I did for about 40mins, then they returned to say (very abruptly) that my account is now suspended and handed over to the federal police. As it turned out, the money was stolen from customers bank accounts overseas by the person working for the bank. The theif then deposits it into your account, and from your account into another account that he setup in his Country with all your details. that way, he can't be traced and you will end up in jail after you make a withdrawl. Im not sure how it works but that's the information i got from the feds. Anyway, more than 12months later, i still dont have my account back and cannot access my own money. [ratcat]
It's a scam..i won that lottery...more than once, without ever entering it! SCAM, SCAM, SCAM [jewel76]
Hello my friend kitten1954 Ji, It has happened many times and I too went like this and just narrowly escaped from bieng cheated. These are all scams. Never reply them, if they are so true, they should ask our paypal account and transfer the amount paypal would collect exchange charges, but they are all fraud. Never get tempted by them. I have recently made such posting. "http://www.mylot.com/w/discussions/1284785.aspx" FROM: THE DESK OF THE E-MAIL PROMOTIONS MANAGER INTERNATIONAL PROMOTIONS/PRIZE AWARD DEPARTMENT, MICROSOFT CORPORATION WORD LOTTERY UNITED KINGDOM.61-70 Southampton Row, Bloomsbury London United Kingdom WC1B 4AR. REFERENCE NO: MSW-L/301-28134G BATCH NO: 2007 AUG#50FH WINNER NO: Deleted ELECTRONIC MAIL AWARD WINNING NOTIFICATION AWARD PRESENTATION CENTER: UNITED KINGDOM DEAR WINNER, MICROSOFT COOPERATION MANAGEMENT WORLDWIDE ARE PLEASED TO INFORM YOU THAT YOU ARE A WINNER OF OUR ANNUAL M-S WORLD LOTTO LOTTERY (MSWLL) CONDUCTED IN LONDON BEING THE HOST OF THE EVENT FOR THIS PRESENT YEAR MEGA JACKPOT LOTTO WINNING PROGRAMS HELD ON 18TH AUG, 2007. YOUR PERSONAL E-MAIL ADDRESS OR COMPANY EMAIL WAS ATTACHED TO MSWLL WITH SERIAL NUMBER S/N-----.YOUR E MAIL ADDRESS DREW THE LUCKY NUMBERS ---------AND CONSEQUENTLY WON IN THE FIRST LOTTERY CATEGORY. YOU HAVE THEREFORE BEEN APPROVED FOR LUMP SUMS OF$ 300,000 (THREE HUNDRED THOUSAND UNITED STATES DOLLARS) PAYABLE IN CASH CREDITED TO FILE REF NO: MSW-------. THIS IS FROM TOTAL PRIZE MONEY OF $ 6,000,000 USD, SHARED AMONG THE TWENTY (20) LUCKY INTERNATIONAL WINNERS IN FIRST AND SECOND CATEGORY. ALL PARTICIPANTS WERE SELECTED FROM WORLDWIDE WEBSITES ESPECIALLY YAHOO MAIL THROUGH OUR MICROSOFT COMPUTER BALLOT SYSTEM DRAWN AMONGST OVER 1 BILLION USERS FROM CANADA, ASIA, AUSTRALIA, UNITED STATE, EUROPE, MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA.THIS INTERNATIONAL "E-MAIL" PROMOTIONS PROGRAM IS CONDUCTED ANNUALLY FOR OUR PROMINENT M-S USERS ALL OVER THE WORLD.THIS IS AIMED AT ENCOURAGING THE USE OF INTERNET AND Computers WORLDWIDE. YOUR FUND (CERTIFIED CHEQUE) HAS BEEN INSURED WITH YOUR REF NO: MSW--------AND IS READY FOR DELIVERY. IT WILL BE DELIVERED TO YOU BY ONE OF OUR CLAIM/PAYMENT AGENT IN CHARGE OF YOUR ZONE. YOUR E-MAIL ADDRESS SHOULD BE USED IN ALL CORRESPONDENCE WITH YOUR CLAIMS/PAYMENT OFFICER. PLEASE NOTE THAT YOU ARE TO CONTACT YOUR CLAIMS OFFICER VIA EMAIL AND PHONE AS WE ARE PROMOTING THE USE OF E-MAIL. ALSO YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO CALL HIM TO CONFIRM YOUR WINNINGS AND GOVERNMENT TAX PAYMENT THAT IS ALL, AS HE WILL PROVIDE YOU WITH THE NECESSARY DETAILS ON HOW TO CLAIM YOUR PRIZE. AS PART OF OUR SECURITY PROTOCOL YOU ARE TO QUOTE THIS SECURITY CODE --------TO YOUR CLAIMING/PAYMENT AGENT. THIS IS TO PREVENT SCAM . PAYMASTER OFFICER CONTACT EMAIL IS DR. FRED MALIK E-MAIL: mslotteryclaimagent@yahoo.com PHONE:+447024060172 +447024060368 REMEMBER, ALL PRIZE MONEY MUST BE CLAIMED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. ALL FUNDS NOT CLAIMED ON OR BEFORE THE FIXED DATE WILL BE RETURNED AS UNCLAIMED AND DONATED TO CHARITY ORGANIZATION IN AFRICA . NOTE: IN ORDER TO AVOID MISTAKES, PLEASE REMEMBER TO QUOTE YOUR REFERENCE, BATCH NUMBERS AND YOUR SECURITY CODE OF -----MSW IN ALL CORRESPONDENCES WITH YOUR PAYMASTER OFFICER. DO NOT REPLY ANY OTHER MAILS LIKE THIS ON NET, AS THEY ARE A LOT OF SCAM ARTIST OUT THERE PRETENDING TO BE US. YOU MAY SEE MAILS LIKE THIS DO NOT REPLY. DO CONTACT YOUR PAYMASTER OFFICER DR. FRED MALIK AT ONCE YOU WILL BE ASKED TO PROVIDE SOME DETAILS TO ENABLE THE OFFICE PROCEED WITH YOUR WINNING CERTIFICATE AND FILE KEEPING. CONGRATULATIONS, ONCE MORE FROM THE ENTIRE MANAGEMENT AND STAFF OF MICROSOFT COOPERATION TO ALL OUR LUCKY WINNERS THIS YEAR. THANK YOU FOR BEING PART OF THIS PROMOTIONAL LOTTERY PROGRAM. OUR SPECIAL THANKS AND GRATITUDE TO BILL GATE OF MICROSOFT AND ALL HIS ASSOCIATES FOR ALLEVIATING POVERTY ROUND THE WORLD. SINCERELY, Best Regards Mr RAYMOND GATE (For co-ordinator) You hav enarrowly escaped. have a nice time. [chintoo07]
I think all those things are scams, I get at least one per week from all different places. I never answer and put them on my blocked list. It'll be interesting for me to read the other replies! [dragon54u]
Oh no, i hope you didn't give them any of your details, these people send you emails and tell you that you have won X amount of money and then they as for all your details so they can milk your bank account, it's all a big scam, if you have not entered any competitions or lottery, please take no notice to the emails, i get them every day so really i must be a multi millionaire by now...be careful about emails like that, the lottery never ever consult people via email saying they have won, the person who did the numbers should contact them, so just ignore these emails from now on, it's a rip off.... [tattylashes]
U are not been cheated.. IT's just that they are out to cheat u, because u din win anything in the 1st place.. They are just using huge amount of 'supposingly won money' to entice u to part with small amount of money b4 they disappear.. IN the end, intead of winning, u will end up losing your savings too.. This kind of scam is very common and alot of ple has fallen prey for it.. Just be careful next time and dun trust that lottery scams ^_^ [kun2349]
3 days back i won a lottery and .. i was going home with it ... suddenly 2 mans come and robbed my lottery money .... =[ [godpower1k1]
Like everyone said, it was one big scam...No bank asks oyu to pay a fee to echange the currency from one to the next. I should know because I have had US dollars sent to a Euro bank account. What the bank does is take out THEIR FEES from the money coming INTO your account and give you the balance...so you didnn't miss out on anything but the fact that you would ahve missed $500 from your personal funds...so count that as a blessing. [gtdonna]
Chances are the money never was there in the first place. The check would have bounced and you would have been out 500. dollars. I am glad you could not have paid for the exchange. If you would have really won the contest you would have had to enter it first. I get those all the time from the UK and Microsoft organization. Something about my email address. Let me tell you they are fake. [teapotmommommerced]
That totally sucks my friend,and it does sound a little odd,I do think you were cheated if the email claimed there would be no fees,but there was going to be a five hundred dollar fee,I think it also sounds like it might have been some sort of scam to try and get money out of you,since you said you had not entered any contest and I do not really trust those kinds of things,so if I had gotten the email I would have just ignored it to be safe. [hellcowboy]
As you can see a lot of posters here are telling you this was a scam thing. Just today I got an email notification about winning a big Lottery via Yahoo, and it was from Bangkok, Thailand....SCAM. I too, never entered this Lottery....if you see such email notifications about winning big with some Lottery do what I do...delete it. If any of these types of emails were truly legit I'd be a billionaire by nowlol [pyewacket]
Oh my, kitten1954, you didn't actually believe that, did you? I mean everyone knows that those emails are all scams. Sorry to sound so abrupt, not meaning to, but I am a little surprised that you didn't know that. I have received hundreds of these kinds of emails over the years. They are all just scams and want your $500. I won a mercedes once and they wanted $3000 from me to ship it here, from Germany. The car was valued at $125,000 so I thought yeah sure, I will send you, someone I don't even know, $3000. You might want to be careful with these emails you get. I have tried to report them to the BBB but they say there is nothing they can do since these are legit business. Alrighty then, talk to you later. Your friend, Chris [chrislotz]
hello friend, scam, a big scam...even though this thing didn't happen on me(even never).but i have heard these bad things from my friends around me.they were reall happy when some organization said they had won a prize,but in order to exchange the prize, they had to pay some hand fees firstly.but after they paid the fees,they couldn't find the organization again theer.due to it is a big scam to chaet their money..so just be careful with them.now, there are a lot of scammers want to cheat peole who want to won some prizes.lol good luck happyhappyhappy [successlog]