Woman lost savings in lotto scam

Saturday, September 08, 2007 posted 11:58 AM EDT

The woman received several letters claiming to be from a sweepstake venture based in Spain.

The letters stated the woman had drawn the winning numbers in a lottery and was to be awarded a substantial amount.

The victim was advised to fax her personal and bank details to a man in Spain who said she would have to pay tax before getting the prize.

Spanish residents

The victim made money transfers of thousands of pounds, but no transfer was ever made to her bank account.

The El Gordo lottery is the official Spanish lottery, but it is only open to Spanish residents.

The people behind the scam are not connected to the real El Gordo lottery.

Similar scams are also believed to be operating under the names La Primitiva and Euromillions.

In 2006, trading standards officials said they were aware of one consumer who was asked to pay £970 up front.

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