MemeMachineGo!

I just got this, which Google indicates has been making the rounds for the past couple of weeks.

Subject: CONGRATS YOU WON (LUCKY STRIKE LOTTERY)

FROM: THE LOTTERY COORDINATOR,

INTERNATIONAL PROMOTIONS/PRIZE AWARD DEPARTMENT

DEAR SIR/MADAM,

RESULTS FOR CATEGORY “A” DRAWS

Congratulations to you as we bring to your notice, the results of the First Category draws of LUCKY STRIKE LOTTERY UK. We are happy to inform you that you have emerged a winner under the First Category, which is part of our promotional draws. […]

You have therefore been awarded a lump sum pay out of £6,500,000 (Six million, five hundred thousand Great Britain Pounds), which is the winning payout for Category A winners. This is from the total prize money of £13,000,000 shared among the 2 winners in this category.

CONGRATULATIONS!

Your fund is now deposited with our transfer agents CASH CHANGE UK LTD and insured in your name. In your best interest and also to avoid mix up of numbers and names of any kind, we request that you keep the entire
details of your award strictly from public notice until the process of transferring your claims has been completed, and your funds remitted to your account.

This is part of our security protocol to avoid double claiming or unscrupulous acts by participants/nonparticipants of this program.
We also wish to bring to your notice our end of year premium stakes draw where you stand a chance of winning up to £50 million; we hope that with a part of your prize you will participate.

Please contact your claims agent immediately for due processing and remittance of your prize money to a designated account of your choice […]

N.B: Any breach of confidentiality on the part of the winners will result to disqualification. Please do not reply to this mail. Contact your claims agent immediately.

The “tell anyone and you’re disqualified” bit is really a nice touch. This guy actually replied, and got the expected response:

Now I have 48 hours to return their form requesting my bank account information and the funds will be transferred after I pay a fee of 3,560 British Pounds up front.

And this woman violated their confidentiality requirement, and was told:

This is what I was told by the Better Business Bureau (and I quote): “International lotteries are illegal to US citizens and are often scams. These lotteries fall under the jurisdiction of the US Secret Service. Please contact them for further assistance.”

This is what I was told by my state’s Attorney General’s Office (and I quote): “International Lotteries are illegal to Citizens of the United States. Anyone entering and/or winning one of these lotteries are subject to stiff penalties and possible prison terms.”

That bit was news to me.