I got a sweepstakes letter in the mail saying I won 200,000 dollars. Is it legitimate?

They sent me a check for 4,450.00and said that 2,950.00 would deducted from my winnings for taxes..have a bunch of numbers and such also an assigned claims attorney with a phone number ..What do you think? Is it for real or is it a Scam?

I got a sweepstakes letter in the mail saying I won 200,000 dollars. Is it legitimate?
Look at the questions I have answered on this site in my info. There are so many winners there could not be enough money to pay them all.There is no International Lottery.This is a Nigeria scam. Yahoo/MSN, U.K. and Australian lotteries, football lotteries from the same counties, Global-Link, World Poverty, Microsoft, Free Lotto, which now seems to have it's own people answering gambling questions on this site claiming they have won which is a total lie, and hundreds more. I am a retired Police Officer that has years of experience investigating Internet scams and frauds. This is an old one. The common link to them getting your email is on line surveys. Yahoo does not give it's stock holders money away nor does it give it's email subscribers address's to lotteries. The only way to win in a lottery is to buy a ticket, if you didn't you could not possibly win. Here is the website of the 17 nation law enforcement task force that investigates cross border Internet crime. You may file a complaint there. www.econsumer.gov. Also go to www.ripoffreport.com and browse complaints and you will find many having the same doubts as yourself about these scams. Below is a typical scam and how they work it. They just go under a thousand different names. They are asking you to send a prepayment to collect your winnings and they want you to send it by a money wire service. Lotteries do not just pick your name out of thin air, and just so happen to have your email also. No Internet service provider gives their email list out to lotteries. If you did not pay to play you could not possibly win.





recieved letter of winning $65000.00 Pacific Player International lotteries,please contact claims agent miss linda strong at 204-951-7582. Second letter came with a check for the amount of $2,470.00 To deposited in my bank account for processing fee,a week later check cleared my bank. I contacted my claims agent over the phone she advise me to wire the balance of $2,341.00 to a Mr Edward Culwell in New York,New York.I called miss linda strong to advise her of the western union confirmation number,to date can not get in touch with linda strong just her voice mail, I know now that it was all a RIP-OFF and now Iam in the hole with $2,470.00 with my bank.... Please send HELP... THANK YOU VERY MUCH
Reply:What you need to do is deposite the check in the bank and wait for it to clear before you spend any of the money. Almost a 3,000 dollar deduction from a 4.5K win? that sounds rediculous and should throw up some red flags right there.
Reply:it is a SCAM trash it i get them all the time alone with all kinds of other stuff that sounds to good to be true. DON'T GET SUCK IN BY ALL OF THIS. i know u have heard the old saying what looks is not always good.
Reply:SCAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I just got one saying I had won $950,00 from South Africa. They want you to pay them something for taxes, or processing fees or some such bunk. don't fall for it please!
Reply:scam. If you didn't enter the contest, how could you be a winner? They will (of course) be asking you for your credit card number, your bank account number, and/or for you to make a small deposit into an offshore account.





p.s. did you know the word "gullible" isn't in the dictionary?
Reply:I got a similar letter. So I called the company that was on the check, and the person on the other line spoke with an Indian accent. He said "yes" I had won the lottery. He told me to call the agent that was listed in the letter.


Instead, I called the bank that the check was drawn from. Even thought the check was a "real" check, and the company was a "real" company, they did not have an account with that bank. The phone number under the company was not it's real phone number.


I'll tell you as soon as I stopped the lottery emails the started coming to my mail box outside my house.


So, I called the agent listed in the letter, it was odd that their business hours were from 4pm to 10pm. I called them at 5pm and left them a horrible message.


I have kept the check and the letter. I look at it every day. I am wanting to come up with a way to get even with all these con artists. And when I do; I will have really won a lottery.
Reply:It's a scam dont waste a phone call did you enter this lottery by buying a ticket if you didnot just tear it up and forget it if you call the number they will ask you for money and bank details because that is what they are after dont do it.