I have been told I have won a prize from the Heritage Lottery Fund/UK National Lottery. Is this genuine?
The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) does not operate a lottery or distribute lottery prizes. They only make grants in response to applications for National Lottery funding. If you receive an e-mail telling you that you have won a prize, it has not come from the Heritage Lottery Fund or the National Lottery. No lottery that asks for payment in order to claim a prize belongs to either the HLF or the National Lottery operating in the UK.
Many typical scams take the form of lotteries. The chances of claiming a huge share of a multi-million jackpot from a lottery scheme, promoted through e-mail, or by post, is very unlikely and if it stays true to form, you will at some stage be required to make a payment to receive the cash prize. Many people who participate in schemes like this, or others which offer huge amounts of money in return for a small processing fee often hear no more from the promoter once the fee has been sent.
In some cases, people have been asked to supply personal details as proof of identity in order to claim their winnings – we would strongly advise you not to do this. Schemes like the one you have received are becoming increasingly more prevalent and could lead to your identity being stolen and misused for criminal activities.
We do not know which of these lotteries are valid. Some pay-to-claim lotteries are regarded by the Metropolitan Police and the Gambling Commission as being fraudulent. If you would like more information, please contact the Metropolitan Police.
We would advise that you exercise caution and do not send any money or give your personal details to an unknown party or company and check the lottery's legal status first.
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