International Lottery Commission international lottery scam Madrid Spain

I have recently received 2 letters. One headed International Lottery Commission and another headed La Primitiva. Both said I had 'won' a substantial amount of money (615,810.00 and 915,810.00 Euros). All I had to do was fax my bank details, including a copy of my passport, driving licence or any other photo ID to their Foreign Service Manager. If I did not reply then the 'winnings' will be returned as unclaimed fund. Interestingly they said that 10% of the winnings belonged to them as part of their commission for 'acting' on my behalf. This 10% has to be paid to them BEFORE they release the funds. If it were genuine my approach would be to ask them to take their commission from the winnings and deposit the remainder to me (via a cheque).

My response to this is DO NOT fall for this obvious rip off, it is an obvious scam which only exists because someone somewhere has already fallen victim to it. If you receive a letter saying congratulations, and it is from Spain, then check its authenticity. Please tell your friends and family, and ask them to spread the word.

Mohammed
Stoke on Trent
United Kingdom