Port Augusta Warning

The letters come in two forms: one from Contest America and one from Euromillions Lottery International. As any seasoned EuroMillions player will no doubt realise, there is no Euromillions Lottery International, because the game is managed by the official lottery organisation in each participating country.

Letters from Euromillions Lottery International don’t just tell the recipient that he or she has won millions of euros, but that the money is already in their bank account, which is of course a lie. The letter then says that the bank details need to be confirmed so that the “winner” can access their non-existent cash prize.

To confirm these details, the recipient is asked to provide information including their bank account number as well as photographic identification. Of course, once a criminal is armed with photo ID and bank account details, it wouldn’t be very difficult for him to steal the recipient’s money. A final request – that the person receiving the letter remains silent about their win until their “claim is processed” – is obviously designed to give the criminals time to do just that.

Police in Port Augusta have advised anyone who receives such letters to ignore them and to refrain from contacting Euromillions Lottery International for any reason.