International / IMF E-Mail Award Program (this one is a bit interesting)

[jenna]

This one actually had pictures of supposed winners. As you can see, their names are there. They get pretty creative, don't they? But, this one gets right to the point with the fees

Zonal Coordinator
Rue De St Michael 01 BP Cotonou RB.
Tel:+229 93877034
Fax:+22921324246

CONGRATULATIONS!!!
Your Bank Draft of US$ 950.000.00
ATTN:

My name is Mr Walter Lawrence, the Zonal Coordinator from the National Lottery Committe and this is to acknowledged the receipt of your email regarding your Payment. We have just received your prize payment file a while ago from the National Lottery Committe. Please be informed that no ticket was sold before your Name and E-mail ID was picked as one of the Lucky Winners in this year INTERNATIONAL / IMF E-MAIL AWARD PROGRAM, this lottery exercise is an email / reward / award programe all participants in this lottery program have been selected randomly through a computer ballot system drawn from over 20,000 email site, and 30,000 names and emails are picked at random.
This exercise is powered by Microsoft Base Computer Programe and Sponsored by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Republic of Benin zone to encourage the use of the internet and computer world wide. The Payment is US$ 950.000.00 Certified Bank Draft for those their names and email appeared in our computer data base . This promotion program takes place every year . Since 2004 some beneficiaries have not been able to receive their payment, this was because of the mismanagement by the past appointed Zonal Managers. You winning Certificate will be send to you as soon as your payment option is clearified.
We hereby inform you that we have processed your payment and your Draft is ready for disbursement. Please understand that your fund is not in liquid form but in an International Certified Bank Draft, this advice complies with the Anti-Fraud section 2,sub section (iv) of the procedural manual of the funds disbursement agreement existing between courier companies and the British Government. To receive your fund in a Certified Bank Draft (along with the monetary documents that ensure its withdrawal) via an ordinary mail is what this honourable office will not risk to attempt.

Payment Options :

1.Come down in person to collect your funds at our payment center in Cotonou depending on where there is availability of funds. You will be required to present a valid International Passport as proof of Identification

2.Have your winning transferred through an online banking system to you account from our corresponding bank, but this will attract an initial online opening balance of a minimum $2,500usd .This way you shall open an account with the bank and have the funds liquefied first before the onward transfer to another account that you may required. Below is the breakdown:

First Deposit:..............$ 950 usd
Account Activation:..........$ 500 usd
ITT/EWT:...................$ 1,050 usd
Total:.................. $ 2,500 usd

3.Finaly we can send it through an efficient Courier Company for example DHL, FedEx,Redex or UPexpress. This option is generally preferable to winners who do not have the financial might to set up an account. Please be informed that we need to procure your Affidavits of lotto claim / Court clearance certificate papers, the processing cost is $45usd is absolutely not deductible as we have to meet up to the requirements of the paying authority here in Republic of Benin where your name is listed for payment. The charges are broken down as follows:

Postage Cost :.........................$45.00 Dollars.
Insurance Policy:.....................$150.00 Dollars.
Admin Cost:............................$150.00 Dollars.
Total cost:..............................$345.00 Dllars.
(This option is generally preferable to winners who do not have the financial capability to set up an account.)

Your winning certificate will sent to you as soon as the processing is comfirmed. it is a very important document in this transaction, as you must be paid your winning prize by the foundation once the original copy is issued. It is also a legal instrument as it can be tendered in a court of competent jurisdiction as an important exhibit if you are not paid by the foundation.
The Foundation also risks sanction by the European Gaming Board of Control if after the issuance of the certificate you are not paid.
Please 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 of this program.
Therefore, you are expected to be in receipt of this mail by your responce in respect of more informations on how to send the processing charges.

Sincerely,
Walter Lawrence
Zonal Coordinator
+229 93877034

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ONCE AGAIN

[Quark]

As cute and benign as this one sounds, it does, as jenna say, walk like a duck and quack like a duck. In other words, yes, it is a scam.

1. This is for a lottery from Benin. If they actually have a lottery in Benin, you can't win it unless you actually live there. If you don't buy a ticket, you can NEVER win.
2. This one comes from "Walter Lawrence", who you probably don't know. And it's a pretty weird name for someone from Benin.
3. "We hereby inform you that we have processed your payment and your Draft is ready for disbursement. Please understand that your fund is not in liquid form but in an International Certified Bank Draft, this advice complies with the Anti-Fraud section 2,sub section (iv) of the procedural manual of the funds disbursement agreement existing between courier companies and the British Government" sounds like legal mumbo-jumbo to me (the chieftaness can clear up this point) but what does the British Government have to do with a lottery in Benin? Nothing. It's just a scam story.
4. if you really won a check they could sent it by "an efficient Courier Company" which would probably cost about USD $20. Anything more than that is a scam.
5. The scammer looks to have mixed up 2 different scam formats here. Part of this looks like a U.K. National Lottery or British National Lottery scam format and the other seems to be some sort of Benin Lottery scam.
6. The scammer uses a phone number, +229 93877034. There's no telling where this one ends up ringing, although it is a number in Benin.
7. www.scamomatic.com will confirm it's a scam.

[Miyuki]

The IMF is the International Monetary Fund and they do NOT have a lottery of any kind. That is not what they do. It is not their purpose.