Is this genuine? Or is it a scam?

From: Weltlotto-Firma Worldlotto
To: Hugh Peralta & Co.

From the desk of the Director Promotions

Award notification; Final Notice:

We are pleased to inform you of the announcement today, December 5, 2002, of winners of the Weltlotto-Firma Worldlotto International Programmes held on June 24, 2002.

Your company, attached to ticket number 013-2316-2002-477, with serial number A025-09, drew the lucky numbers 37-13-34-85-56-42, and consequently won in category C.

You have therefore been approved for a lump sum payout of US$1.5 million in cash credited to file Ref. No. WFL/67-BO11748322.

This is from total prize money of US$22.5 million shared among the 15 international winners in category C. All participants were selected through a computer ballot system drawn from 30,000 names from Australia, New Zealand, America, Asia, Europe, and North America as part of our international promotions programme, which is conducted annually.

Congratulations! Your fund is now deposited with a finance and security house insured in your name. Due to the mix-up of some numbers and names, we ask that you keep this award strictly from public notice until your claim has been processed and your money remitted to your account.

This is part of our security protocol to avoid double claiming or unscrupulous acts by participants in this programme. We hope that with part of your prize, you will participate in our end of year-high stakes US $1.3 billion international lotto.

To collect your claim, please contact your claims officer immediately:

This text was followed by various addresses, telephone numbers and various other details with an emphasis on confidentiality as well as a statement stressing that any breach of confidentiality on the part of the winners will result in disqualification.

Hugh Peralta & Associates replied:

We have been notified by Weltlotto-Firma Worldlotto, of The Netherlands, that our company is one of the winners in the Weltlotto-Firma Worldlotto International Programmes held on June 24, 2002.

We were instructed to contact you re the above-mentioned for further information and to collect our claim. (Dr Hugh Peralta, December 6, 2002)

On the same day, indeed within a few hours, Hugh Peralta & Associates received the following reply from Europe Securities re: Weltlotto-Firma:

We are in receipt of your claims file. Be informed that we have in our possession instruments of payment for the sum of US$1.5 million to you. Please fill the attached form and send back either by fax or by e-mail. You will also be required to pay a fee of US$2,950 or its equivalent in your local currency.

This payment is to cover transfer charges, insurance of vital documents like prize claims certificate, receipt of transfer of your funds to your account via courier service handling and opening of account charges. Note that your total prize claim of US$1.5 million has been insured to the real value and as such cannot be deducted from. This is in accordance with article 44 (144) of The Netherlands Lottery Commissions Gaming Regulations as amended in the 1996 constitution. This is to protect clients (winners) and to avoid misappropriation of funds.

A certificate of prize claim and some other vital documents will be sent to you via courier service immediately after transfer of your funds is effected. Note that the funds will be transferred within 24 hours of the receipt of all the requirements.

According to our contract with Weltlotto-Firma Incorporated, all monies which remain unclaimed as at December12 will be repatriated back to the gaming fund. Neither Eurosecurities nor its agents will be held liable for any contravention of relevant local laws in your locality, including religious, gaming and tax avoidance laws.

I shall be awaiting your response. (Jo Vancol, foreign service manager)

Jo Vancol's reply makes interesting reading, particularly the reference made to Article 44 (144) etc. in an attempt to give the impression that we are dealing with an organisation that gives the protection of clients (winners) against "misappropriation of funds" the importance it deserves - nod, nod, wink, wink. Indeed, human nature being what it is, the question is: would there have been any misappropriation of funds had Dr Peralta paid the US$2,950 fee?

I am making a concerted effort to stick to facts and, in this spirit, if there is anybody out there who actually did pay the US$2,950 fee, we would like to hear from you, particularly with information as to whether you received your winnings or not.

I thank Dr Peralta for referring the case to me, which is well worth sharing with fellow consumers. Indeed, in doing so, he forfeited his rights to the winnings as explained above. However, if there is another winner who abided by Weltlotto-Firma Worldlotto's rules and subsequently received US$1.5 million, we would like to hear from him/her.From: Weltlotto-Firma Worldlotto

To: Hugh Peralta & Co.
From the desk of the Director Promotions

Award notification; Final Notice:

We are pleased to inform you of the announcement today, December 5, 2002, of winners of the Weltlotto-Firma Worldlotto International Programmes held on June 24, 2002.

Your company, attached to ticket number 013-2316-2002-477, with serial number A025-09, drew the lucky numbers 37-13-34-85-56-42, and consequently won in category C.

You have therefore been approved for a lump sum payout of US$1.5 million in cash credited to file Ref. No. WFL/67-BO11748322.

This is from total prize money of US$22.5 million shared among the 15 international winners in category C. All participants were selected through a computer ballot system drawn from 30,000 names from Australia, New Zealand, America, Asia, Europe, and North America as part of our international promotions programme, which is conducted annually.

Congratulations! Your fund is now deposited with a finance and security house insured in your name. Due to the mix-up of some numbers and names, we ask that you keep this award strictly from public notice until your claim has been processed and your money remitted to your account.

This is part of our security protocol to avoid double claiming or unscrupulous acts by participants in this programme. We hope that with part of your prize, you will participate in our end of year-high stakes US $1.3 billion international lotto.

To collect your claim, please contact your claims officer immediately:

This text was followed by various addresses, telephone numbers and various other details with an emphasis on confidentiality as well as a statement stressing that any breach of confidentiality on the part of the winners will result in disqualification.

Hugh Peralta & Associates replied:

We have been notified by Weltlotto-Firma Worldlotto, of The Netherlands, that our company is one of the winners in the Weltlotto-Firma Worldlotto International Programmes held on June 24, 2002.

We were instructed to contact you re the above-mentioned for further information and to collect our claim. (Dr Hugh Peralta, December 6, 2002)

On the same day, indeed within a few hours, Hugh Peralta & Associates received the following reply from Europe Securities re: Weltlotto-Firma:

We are in receipt of your claims file. Be informed that we have in our possession instruments of payment for the sum of US$1.5 million to you. Please fill the attached form and send back either by fax or by e-mail. You will also be required to pay a fee of US$2,950 or its equivalent in your local currency.

This payment is to cover transfer charges, insurance of vital documents like prize claims certificate, receipt of transfer of your funds to your account via courier service handling and opening of account charges. Note that your total prize claim of US$1.5 million has been insured to the real value and as such cannot be deducted from. This is in accordance with article 44 (144) of The Netherlands Lottery Commissions Gaming Regulations as amended in the 1996 constitution. This is to protect clients (winners) and to avoid misappropriation of funds.

A certificate of prize claim and some other vital documents will be sent to you via courier service immediately after transfer of your funds is effected. Note that the funds will be transferred within 24 hours of the receipt of all the requirements.

According to our contract with Weltlotto-Firma Incorporated, all monies which remain unclaimed as at December12 will be repatriated back to the gaming fund. Neither Eurosecurities nor its agents will be held liable for any contravention of relevant local laws in your locality, including religious, gaming and tax avoidance laws.

I shall be awaiting your response. (Jo Vancol, foreign service manager)

Jo Vancol's reply makes interesting reading, particularly the reference made to Article 44 (144) etc. in an attempt to give the impression that we are dealing with an organisation that gives the protection of clients (winners) against "misappropriation of funds" the importance it deserves - nod, nod, wink, wink. Indeed, human nature being what it is, the question is: would there have been any misappropriation of funds had Dr Peralta paid the US$2,950 fee?

I am making a concerted effort to stick to facts and, in this spirit, if there is anybody out there who actually did pay the US$2,950 fee, we would like to hear from you, particularly with information as to whether you received your winnings or not.

I thank Dr Peralta for referring the case to me, which is well worth sharing with fellow consumers. Indeed, in doing so, he forfeited his rights to the winnings as explained above. However, if there is another winner who abided by Weltlotto-Firma Worldlotto's rules and subsequently received US$1.5 million, we would like to hear from him/her.