Access Trust Inc. sent a letter saying I've won a lotto & sweepstakes prize of $150,000 USD East Ham, London United Kingdom

I received in the mail an award notification from Access Trust Inc. The letter claims I was previously informed by mail in a letter dated December 22, 2008 that I am a winner in sweepstakes held in Australia where my name was drawn as a winner.

The letter also claims that I have been approved for a lump sum of $150,000 USD at no extra cost to myself. The payment is supposed to be sent from Access Trust Inc. North American payment office located in Buffalo, New York.

The letter goes on to explain something about "Federal and International regulations governing the personal collections of cash prizes." "Prize winnings will be released to you as soon as your Clearance Fee is deducted and paid."

The letter then states that I will receive my winnings in the form of a certified cheque, or if I request, by bank transfer directly into my bank account, or any bank account nominated by me.

I am supposed to contact Access Trust Inc. main processing office in London, UK at 011-44-750-552-6289, and ask for either David Morgan or Helen Anderson.

I think it it interesting that when I searched for the company online, I found another Ripoff Report dated June, 2008 about a company called Standard Trust Security located at the same address as Access Trust Inc. Seems the same scammers have changed their name. The person who wrote that Ripoff Report had a similar experience to mine.

I am very disappointed that the company didn't provide an email address, because I would love to email them. I would recommend they deduct the "clearance fee," and then just mail the check to my address since they already have it. Then again, I have heard of scams where checks, when they are actually sent, are no good. Of course, in this case no check would ever arrive, I am sure.

I wanted to put the company name on the Internet so others will know what the deal is with Access Trust, Inc.

Dinah
Brighton, Massachusetts
U.S.A.