I’ve Hit the Jackpot
I’m announcing my retirement – it’s only $715,950 but I think I can stretch that and bum around for a decade. Okay, I’m kidding. The other day I got a piece of mail (direct mail, NOT email) that came from Spain (I’m not sure, but definitely somewhere in Europe). There’s no return address and I thought… that’s weird, I don’t know anyone in Europe.
Forged Letter With Fake Graphics
(click to view larger version)
I open it up and there’s this watermarked letter complete with crappy header logos and an even crappier graphic in the bottom right that’s supposed to be some kind of authentic security seal. These graphics are blurry and just scream fake and unprofessional. So this letter goes on to describe how my name was submitted to an international lottery in Spain through a cross-promotion with some American company and that I won $715,950. They claim that it’s now placed at a security company and I have to call them so they can transfer it to my bank. I’m guessing the first thing they’ll ask for is some money to deposit or some type of transaction fee.
This letter has so many things on it that should set off warning alarms for people but I’m sure people fall for this, just like those Nigerian email scams. I didn’t think they did this with direct mail though. I’m surprised because this cost them “50p” from what I see on the stamp, while sending emails is basically free. If these fraudsters are willing to spend money, it means their endeavors are profitable and people are indeed getting scammed.
Obviously when I get a foreign letter telling me I won a lottery I didn’t participate in, my first reaction is skepticism. I thought “okay, whatever” and the first thing I did was hop on Google and search for “euromillones” and quickly confirmed this is a scam. Apparently they used to do this with email as well (or maybe they still are).
Here’s another page about these fraudulent scams on the official Euromillones website: Scam Letters & Emails
Watch Out For Scams Like This
I’ve added (SCAM) to the post title just to make it really clear. This post was originally meant to be sarcastic but people who’ve received the same letter are finding this post online when looking for info. So just to confirm, the Euromillones letter is a SCAM.
Bottom line is if you actually won the lottery they would not just mail you a plain letter like this to notify you. It would most likely be a phone call or at least a certified letter requiring signature. And they would never ask you for personal financial information or any kind of up front deposit to claim your winnings. Plus, how many lotteries have you played where you had to give out personal information like your home address?
As good as it might sound, if it’s too good to be true, it probably is – money doesn’t just drop out of the sky onto your lap like this.
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