Lottery Scam

Spanish lottery scam warning
Published: 19 March, 2008

POLICE have issued warnings about a Spanish Euro Lottery letters which are in circulation across the area.

This scam is based in Europe and advises the recipient of huge cash winnings due to them if they make contact with the originator.

Inspector Neil MacKinnon said: "The simple test for the public is if you have not bought into such a scheme you cannot win. On no account should you send money to unknown individuals who represent these schemes.

"Unfortunately, in recent weeks the police have been made aware of a victim of the Spanish Lottery Scam who has suffered considerable financial loss."

Inspector MacKinnon added: "We would urge the public to bin letters which promise lottery wins or unexpected financial windfall.

"Unscrupulous individuals based in Europe, and also Africa, distribute these letters to gain financial reward. This often results in huge personal distress to individuals across the UK as there are no winners.

"BBC's Watchdog programme has in the past exposed this type of scam. Anyone with a personal concern is advised to contact their local police office."

Source: Inverness Courier

Focus on Grammar


On no account should you send money to unknown individuals.

The above is an example of a negative adverbial. Notice the construction of the sentence:

adverbial + auxiliary + subject + main verb
On no account = under no circumstances.

We use this construction to give greater emphasis in more formal language.

Other negative adverbials include:
Time expressions: never, rarely, seldom

These time expressions are used with a perfect form or with modals and often include comparatives:
Never have I been more ashamed.
Seldom has he experienced such kindness.
Rarely has she been off work for so long.

Time expressions: hardly, barely, no sooner, or scarcely

These time expressions are used when a there are a succession of events in the past:

No sooner had we arrived at the beach, it started to rain.
Scarcely had I got out of bed when the doorbell rang.

After 'Only' Expressions such as 'only after', 'only now', 'only then', etc.

'Only' is used with a time expression:

Only now can I appreciate how good our last teacher was.
Only then did I notice that she hadn't come .

"No way" means that something is completely impossible.

It is common in informal, spoken language:

No way will we be finished by 9 o' clock.
No way am I going to work hard for so little money.



Spain holds lottery scam suspects

Spanish police have arrested 87 Nigerians suspected of defrauding at least 1,500 people in a postal and internet lottery scam.

The arrests were made in and around Madrid in an operation co-ordinated with the FBI.

Police said millions of euros were taken from the victims, most of them in the United States and European Union.

Those targeted were wrongly told they had won a lottery and asked to send a payment before prize money could sent.

Thousands of letters and e-mails, most in ungrammatical English, were sent out to prospective victims every day, police said.

The faked documents asked them to make an initial payment of 900 euros ($1,400, £720) in taxes or administrative costs.

The scam is estimated to have netted around 20 million euros, but the actual sum could be many times that, say police.

Anglican bishop

Police said the number of those defrauded could run into many thousands, as most of them probably failed to report the crime out of embarrassment.

Police estimate that only one in 1,000 recipients of the letters needed to fall for the fraud for it to make a profit. An Anglican bishop was among those duped, according to Spanish officials.

The operation to track down the gang began in May 2007 when a huge number of identical letters destined for addresses in the US was discovered at Madrid's Barajas airport.

Police confiscated hundreds of computers, mobile phones and 60,000 letters in a raid on more than 30 homes and businesses.

Law enforcement officers also seized a suitcase full of fake $100 notes which they say was used to convince some victims who came to Spain in person to collect their "prize money".

Source: BBC News