Issue Date:  -  Monday, 7 February 2000

Overseas lottery scam - consumer alert

Fair Trading Commissioner Patrick Walker today issued an urgent warning for consumers to be wary of overseas competitions.

Mr Walker said the Ministry of Fair Trading had this week seen another sudden upsurge in the number of inquiries from consumers about unsolicited mail from overseas, advising them that they had won cash in competitions they knew nothing about.

“The Ministry has received more than fifty (50) inquiries in a week from WA people who have received unsolicited material from International Direct Inc. of Faversham in the United Kingdom” Mr Walker said.

Consumers are being asked to send $11.95 to an overseas post office box in order to claim a $25,000 (U.S.Dollars) prize.

"We have seen this scam before, but the sudden rise in inquiries suggests WA is being targeted by the promoters," Mr Walker said.

Mr Walker said that the Ministry's counterparts in the United Kingdom have been contacted and advised of the scam. He went further to say there were risks in sending money overseas and that consumers needed to be especially wary about competitions they had not entered.

Anyone receiving a faxed or mailed "Final Notice" informing them of their supposed "win" should not respond in any way and inform Fair Trading on telephone number 1300 30 40 54. (This number is charged at a local call from anywhere in WA).

Media contact
Mike Winchester
(08) 9282 0961
0409 118 982