The Financial Services Board (FSB) has warned South Africans not to be fooled by an e-mail promising recipients a fortune in euros as a result of a mix-up in a global lottery draw.
The e-mail from "Luckyday International", with an address in Amsterdam, says that "due to the mix up of numbers, the results were released on the 29th of September 2003. Your name attached to ticket number 002213459 with serial number 065836-0 drew the lucky numbers of 1-3-19 which consequently won the lottery in the 2nd category. You have therefore been approved for a lump sum payout of 250 000 euros."
A variation of the mail, from "Trans-world Lottery", claims the recipient has won $1 million.
The e-mails instruct the "winner" to keep the information confidential until the claim has been processed.
Rob Barrow, the FSB`s deputy executive officer of investment institutions, says the e-mail`s promise of a large lottery payout in return for an "administration fee" is clearly a scam and people should stay clear of dealings with the writer of the mail.
"People have been falling for it," says FSB spokesman Astrid de Vos. "It`s not in our jurisdiction so we are not investigating it. But many people have been phoning us about it. We just want to make sure that people know about it.
"There are always people who will fall for this kind of thing."
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