UK national lottery scam

Do not get caught in a fake UK national lottery scam.

The internet has allowed you to enjoy various versions of lotto from the comfort of your home, but there is also a dark side to this convenience. Unscrupulous people from various shady corners of the globe have started to take advantage of the desperation of many players for a jackpot win and have started sending out fake emails convincing them of their win in a particular lottery game. Here are some tips on how to avoid getting caught in a fake UK national lottery scam.

The official UK national lottery is operated by Camelot Group Plc, which has its headquarters in Watford. It has various distributors and retailers that provide various versions of lotto such as Thunder Ball, Euro Millions, Lotto 649, Lotto Hot Picks, etc. There are also various international versions of lotto that can be enjoyed online by logging on to the company’s official website or through private sites. The winning jackpot goes into millions of pounds and this is what tempts many players into believing that they have won the jackpot.

Cheats often send out emails to various people congratulating them on their winning the sweepstakes even if they have not purchased any ticket or played any game. The explanation often offered by these cheats could be that the winning person has just won because his email address was selected in an online raffle. This results in an explosion of happiness from the gullible player’s side. The cheats then exhort the gullible player to give out his or her personal details including their address, telephone number and bank account number. The cheats might also ask for a ‘processing fee’ to get the winning funds released. Needless to say, the prize money and the processing fee will never be seen again and the cheats will never be heard from again.

If you have received such an email, then there are a few pointers that could help you to distinguish it as a fake. The language written in the email is usually very poor with capital letters and punctuation marks way off the mark. The telephone number mentioned in the email will also most probably be a mobile number. The address would most probably be a fake and the email address will not have the company extension but rather be a yahoo or gmail one that is very easy to create and abandon.

If you stay in the United Kingdom, you can easily cross-check the address on the email, but if you are an Irish citizen or stay in another corner of the world, then it might be difficult to check. Be aware that the UK national lottery never sends out mails informing winners of the exact amount that they have won and never asks for any processing fee before the winning amount is delivered. If you do receive such a mail, it would be better to verify your winnings with any of the regional offices of the UK national lottery. Anyway, remember one simple fact, you cannot win the lottery if you have not bought a ticket.

Thus, you should keep the above tips in mind and immediately notify the relevant authorities if you receive such an email. Do not give out your personal details and never wire any money in the hope of receiving your prize money. Staying alert will prevent you from falling prey to the fake UK national lottery scam.