BRITISH HIGH COMMISSION
PRESS RELEASE
British High Commission warns of lottery scam
The British High Commission today urged anyone in Sri Lanka receiving
unsolicited correspondence claiming to be from UK lottery companies
to exercise extreme caution, particularly if they have been asked for
money in order to receive winnings.
A High Commission Spokesperson said,
"We have received many enquiries from Sri Lankans who have received
authentic looking letters and or e-mails claiming they have won prizes
in UK lotteries. Legitimate UK lottery companies DO NOT ask for money
or personal banking details to be sent in order to receive winnings.
If a member of the public receives an email or letter claiming to be
from a lottery they have not entered we advise that they do not reply
to it and do not complete any claim forms. Remember, if it looks too
good to be true, it probably is. "
The UK National Lottery website says:
" We do not advise a player has won a prize by email. If the email
says 'Winning Notification' or 'Lottery Sweep Stake' in the text, the
email you've received is not from UK National Lottery.
" We don't put winning numbers or winning dates on an email
" We don't advise of a winning amount on an email
" We don't ask Players for information like name, address or bank
details in an email
Some tips on how to spot if the correspondence is fraudulent:
" There may be a sense of urgency, eg 'respond within 5 days or
your account will be closed',
" There may be links within the body of the email that look legitimate
because they contain all or part of a real company's name. These links
may take you to spoof websites which ask you to update personal information,
" Finally, do you remember entering the competition??? If not,
then chances are you haven't won and the information is bogus.
20 July 2006
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