El Gordo Spanish Sweepstake Lottery Company aka Universal Clearing House S.A ripoff Madrid Spain

This Morning I recieved a letter telling me that I had won a prize in El-Gordo de la Primitiva Lottery in the 3rd catagory.

The amount stated 415.841.00 euros. Usually I throw these types of letters in the bin, but this one stumped me as it had a spainish stamp on it and I decided to read on.

The letter stated that a computer ballot system had selected my name from 25,000 names around the world (lucky me)as a winner. It said my money had been deposited with a security/clearing company (Universal Clearing House S.A) and that it had already been insured in my name.

It read on to say that I should contact my claims agent MR FRANCISCO PEDRO foreign operations manager on +34 6 900 60609 to process my money and to send it on to the destination of my choice.

I happen to speak fluent spanish (as I was born there), and so decided to ring Mr Pedro and find out what the score was. The phone happens to be a mobile which I found a bit odd and when Mr Pedro came on the line (who by the way is not spanish in the lest) was told to fill out the attached form send it back to him.

The form asked for my address details, next of kin, banking details and a photocopy of a personal identity for verificatiion. This made me realise what a humungous scam this was. There was absolutely no chance of me sending a copy of my passport or national identity card to a total stranger.

I decided to check this people out on the internet and the first website I came to was rip off report. Which had numerous reports of people recieving letters almost identical to mine.

These scamming people obviously do this kinds of things on a grand scale and when things get a bit hot either change their company name or move premises. Then the whole scam starts again.

I hate the fact that this people send these letters out just before christmas when we are all skint and in need of a some extra cash. I feel sorry for those few who don't realise that this is a con and get taken for ride.

Is there anything we can do to stop them?

Jan
Kent
United Kingdom