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Heritage Lottery scam

Heritage Lottery scam

An example of a heritage lottery scam email.

Western Australians are receiving email notifications from Heritage Lottery International, United Kingdom, that they have won a cash prize.

The prize is supposedly from the Gambling Board of Great Britain licensed Online Ballot Lottery.

The email states: “Heritage Lottery Promotions International UK (HLP) was set up by Parliament in 1994 to give grants to a wide range of projects involving the local, regional and national heritage of the United Kingdom. We distribute a share of the money raised by the National Lottery for Good Causes.”

This email is an advance fee fraud email scam. If you respond, the scammers will start asking you for thousands of dollars in payments to release the money.

Like many scams, it uses official names and logos to give it credibility.

The UK Department of Media, Culture and Sport have issued a public warning about these types of lottery emails.

It states: “The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) does not operate a lottery or distribute lottery prizes.

“They only make grants in response to applications for National Lottery funding.

“If you receive an e-mail telling you that you have won a prize, it has not come from the Heritage Lottery Fund or the National Lottery.

“No lottery that asks for payment in order to claim a prize belongs to either the HLF or the National Lottery operating in the UK.”

Check out of the department’s FAQ section on its website at www.culture.gov.uk for more details.