Loteria Primitiva ripoff, fake lottery winner, international scam Madrid

I received an award letter for a prize in a lottery which I did not enter. The prize amount was $615,810.00. If this wasn't enough to raise suspicion, a fax reply form was also enclosed. This form asks for bank account numbers, date of birth, phone and next of kin. The envelope had no return address and it was sent regular mail.

My plan was to send a copy to the state Attorney General's office and to take the original to the Post Office to report to the Inspector General. In looking for this lottery web site, I happened on this Ripoff Report site which confirmed my suspicion.

There are web sites that relate to the lottery in the letter. Apparently, this scam uses the name of a real lottery so it looks legit to someone searching on the web.

I will still make formal consumer protection complaints, but expect it is very difficult to stop this kind of activity.

Terry
New Albany, Indiana
U.S.A.