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How to Stay Safe from Scams... and Keep on Playing Your Favourite Lotteries! |
Keeping you informed about lotto scams is one of our top priorities. That’s
why we’ve created this page. We want you to know how scammers operate,
how you can spot a scam, and the facts about how European Lottery Guild
looks after its clients. We want to help you keep playing your favourite
lotteries – safely!
How scammers operate
Scammers will tell you you’ve won a lottery. It may be a lottery that you have entered, but often it’s one
you haven’t. Regardless, the next step is always the same. They’ll
tell you that to collect your winnings, you need to send them money (a tactic known as an “advance pay” scam).
They may even ask you to send copies of your driver’s licence or passport or for your bank account information
– and later they’ll make withdrawals from your account or steal your identity.
Lottery scams are increasing, and the scammers may use the telephone, faxes, mail, email, and even cell-phone text
messages to get to you and try to trick you out of substantial sums of money – or into disclosing valuable personal
information.
But you can protect yourself from these schemes. All it takes is the right information and a little
common sense.
How you can spot a scam
Lotto scams are easy to spot – if you know what to look for. You should be suspicious if one or more of the
following signs are present:
| 1. |
You’re contacted by a company with the news that you’ve won money or a
merchandise prize but you’ve never entered a draw or competition with that company. |
| 2. |
You’re told that you must pay taxes, administration fees, legal costs, or a
“release fee” before you can receive your winnings, and you’ll often be asked to forward this money
by wire transfer. |
| 3. |
You receive, out of the blue, a cheque as partial payment of winnings in a lottery... but you’re told you must cash that cheque and return the amount to the sender before the
remainder of your winnings can be released. |
| 4. |
You’re asked to prove your identity by sending the company copies of your
passport, driver’s licence, or other identifying documents and/or your bank account information. |
| 5. |
You’re told that you must collect your prize by a certain deadline, usually
within a few weeks or even just days – or you’ll lose it. |
| 6. |
You’re given no way to contact the company with any questions or concerns, or
you’re given no valid address for the company – only a phone number. |
| 7. |
You’re asked to tell no one about your win until after you’ve received
your prize. |
Always use common sense. Remember... if you win a lottery, you shouldn’t have to pay to collect your prize. No
honest organization will make you do that.
Have you been contacted by scammers?
Scam letters and emails have been circulating that use the name “European Lottery”, “European Lottery
Guild” or “European Lottery Guild Inc.” and that feature a forgery of European Lottery
Guild’s crest.
The letters and emails claim the recipient has won a lottery. Some refer to insurance fees and commission that must be
paid, and others caution the recipient to tell no one about the win. Similar letters have also circulated using the name
“European Lottery Guild LTD.”
As the world’s largest and most trusted lottery-entry service, we want to make certain that we’re not
confused with any fraudulent operators. We take consumer fraud protection very seriously.
Our Customer Service professionals are fully trained to spot lottery scams. If you’ve received a letter,
fax, or email claiming to be from the European Lottery Guild but it contains any of the warning signs listed above, please
contact us immediately at info@europeanlotteryguild.com
or by the phone numbers you’ll find on the “Contact Us” page
of this website. Our intention is that no one suffers due to this fraud.
We are committed to bringing about a prosecution of the perpetrators, and the details you provide can help us
do so.
The truth about scammers and the lies they tell
Here at European Lottery Guild, we are dedicated to educating you about lottery fraud. Consumer fraud protection is part
of the worry-free service we’ve been offering our clients since 1990.
When you play lotteries with us, you’ll find it easier than ever to spot a lotto scam because you’ll know
from experience the kind of service a first-class lottery entry company provides. Here’s a quick
fiction-versus-fact overview of the lies scammers tell... and some real information about how we take care of our
customers:
| Fiction: |
It’s possible to win a lottery you’ve never entered. |
| Fact: |
To win a lottery, you must first enter it. European Lottery Guild will never tell you
that you’ve won a lottery prize if you are not a registered player with us. You must first purchase an entry to
have a chance to win. |
| Fiction: |
You must pay legal, insurance, and administration fees on lottery winnings before you
can collect. |
| Fact: |
European Lottery Guild never charges its winners legal, insurance, or administration
fees to collect a prize. When you play with us, the only amount you ever pay is your initial entry fee. |
| Fiction: |
You must pay tax on your lottery winnings before they can be released to you. |
| Fact: |
Winnings from lotteries featured by European Lottery Guild are awarded without tax
deductions. If you’re told you must pay tax on your winnings before you can collect them, it’s likely
you’re being scammed. |
| Fiction: |
When you win a lottery, the lottery company will often send you a portion of your
winnings by cheque to help you cover taxes and administration fees so that they can release the rest of your money. |
| Fact: |
Scammers are sending very real looking cheques to victims, along with instructions to
deposit the cheque, then send the money back to them to cover taxes and administration. The cheques are counterfeit,
but the banking system can take up to six weeks to discover this. If you cash such a cheque and, in turn, send on the
money before your bank discovers the fraud, you will be liable for the full amount.
European Lottery Guild will never ask you to remit any portion of your winnings to us to cover any fees whatsoever.
When you win, you will receive the full value of your prize. And depending on your country of
residence, the method of payment is up to you. |
| Fiction: |
It’s common for lottery companies not to provide you with any documentation
of your plays. |
| Fact: |
A reputable organization will send you complete details of your lottery plays. Each
time you play a lottery through European Lottery Guild, we will send you a detailed confirmation of your entry which
includes the name of the specific lottery, the numbers you played, and your draw dates.
At the end of your play period, we will send you a final statement clearly showing any winnings you may have made on
that order.
(If you win a major prize at any time during the course of your entry, we will notify you immediately by
telephone.) |
| Fiction: |
If you don’t collect your winnings by a certain deadline, you’ll be
disqualified from claiming them. |
| Fact: |
If you play lotteries with us and win, there’s no deadline for collection.
We include payment for your winnings with the final statement we send you at the end of your play period.
(For convenience, small wins of less than €5 are credited directly to your ELG account and are available
on request at any time.) You can also request payment of your wins balance at any time prior to the end of
your play period.
In addition, should you win a jackpot and wish to collect your prize in person, we will make any necessary
arrangements for you and cover your travel expenses. |
| Fiction: |
For security reasons, if you win a lottery you must keep your win confidential until
after you collect your prize. Failure to do so can result in disqualification. |
| Fact: |
Telling you to keep quiet is the scammers’ way of ensuring their own protection
until they’ve got what they want from you. We respect your privacy and will never publish any information about
your win without your consent. However, we will never insist that you not tell others about your win. We want you to
celebrate! |
You can call European Lottery Guild at any time and speak to a
Customer Service Representative (see
“ Contact Us” for phone numbers)
about any questions or concerns regarding your orders, billing information, or win payments. You are also welcome to
email us at info@europeanlotteryguild.com.
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