Mine is just like this.
Here's the text of the letter, including their spelling and grammatical errors:
(letterhead)
Deltec Financial & Trust ServicesDeltec House, Lyford Cay, P.O. Box N-3229 Nassau, Bahamas
Sponsor: Readers Digest, Publishers Clearing House, Sweepstakes, Lotto (letterhead ends)
Name
Address
Your ref :X9999
Date
SUBJECT: AWARD CLAIM FINAL NOTIFICATIONSome people have good things happen to them by luck or by chance. But the reason for your good fortune is clear you have been an exceptional lucky sweepstake winner. That is why we are delighted to inform you through this letter that our network system shows you as the lucky winner of unclaimed prize money in the amount of $62,980 USD (Sixty Two Thousand Nine Hundred Eighty Dollars). The system indicated that you won the prize on December 14th, 2006 sweepstakes third category draw.
All participants were selected through a comperize ballot system drawn from reader's digest, publisher's clearing house, mailing addresses, computer games, and sweepstakes with data base from Australia, new Zealand, Europe, North and South America, South Africa, and Asia as part of our International Promotions Program (IPP), which is conducted annually. CONGRATULATIONS!!!
It is also part of our job to bring to your notice, the existence of an international law guiding the fair personal collection of cash prizes.
This Internatinal law ensures that a winner pays a processing fee before the funds are released. The same Law prevents you from paying with your personal money but from your winning money; the first installment of $2980 USD should be used for the payment of the processing fee. Be advised that your Reference Number must be kept
confidential until your claim is completed. This is to avoid double claiming which might disqualify you.
Your fundsa re now deposited with us and insured in your name. Please find enclosed a cashier's check in the amount of $2,980 USD cashable only by you. You shall be advised by your claims agent on how much to be withdrawn and sent to the processing office to finalize your claims. The balance of $60,000 will be sent to you via a courier company of choice after your payment is confirmed.
Please take advantage of this golden opportunity by contacting your claims agent(s) Mr. Pinson Berdu or Mrs. Victoria Stanton at 1-778-xxx-xxxx; Mon-Fri 9am-8pm, Sat 9am-3pm EST, upon receipt of this notification.
Please note that all unclaimed prize money will be donated to a charity organization.
Once again congratulations from all our staff!
Yours truly,
Weston Pratt Snr.
Director Claims & Credit Control
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I checked the area code and it is in Vancouver, BC. The address in the letterhead is real, and there is a Deltec, but it is actually
Deltec Bank and Trust Limited, a legitimate bank in the Bahamas at the address quoted. These alone tipped me off that this was a fraud. The "sponsor list" is hopelessly vague after naming the big sweepstakes companies. "Sweepstakes"? "Lotto"? c'mon.
Thankfully, my wife says she never contacted the people named on the letter. Even so, she'll also need a new bank account just for safety's sake.
Its just like this but its from North Atlantic Payment House. searched all over the internet found nothing mine was in the amount of 50k USD and i got a check for 2900 i did not believe it at all but it just looked so real, so i called the lady her name was Glory Whiteman(Name is kinda bogus) from Canada 905 number so she says yes you have won congrats! im like great! she wasnt too enthusiastic about it but i was convinced so i go to the bank deposit the money but i still didnt believe it so i call her again and tell her I deposited the money she said well you have to wait till its clear cause it wasnt i do mine thru BofA im California. well i get home i still couldnt belive it cause on the phone she said after I asked what do i do after you recive the payment of 2800$ i asked is that fee cover the taxes "She said taht the IRS will contact you. and then you will get hte money thru UPS" well I went all over the internet and did some indepth search and found this GREAT forum, cause yesterday night i couldnt find anything searching for the actual bank. Well my question is IF the check clears am i fine to spend the money?(well not send it to her, i mean thats befor my morals kick in:P jk) and if the check clears do i contact the bank and go forth with them to investigate.
Would i get in trouble if i spent the money? And what if the check bounces on its clearing date cause its in the bank right now but its not clear for the full amount. would i be in trouble if the check had bounced? I really had no idea. do they shred it or do i get the cops called on me? do i tell them its a fraud and where i got it from if it does bounce? Sry for all the questions but i want to make sure im not in the bad in this situation or it just may be reeal??? nahh. Also when i called her about 3 times twice i talked to her and i didnt give her nothing but my name which they alrdy had. I would have given my Bank account info if they had asked, but gladly and thankfully they didnt ask so I didnt give anything.