Complaint Review: NIC Financial Management Group / Metropolitan Lotto / Metropolitan Lottery Commission

If you receive an offer/award of having "won" a UK/British/Canadian" lottery, especially if it is in the mail...think about this: They'll tell you they received your information because you either played a lottery game online, or recently won a lottery, etc. And, they took your name/address and put it into a "pool" and you WOW...Won! It looks so much more "innocent" because it isn't "internet oriented" so to speak - i.e. it didn't come in email and they don't mention your email address (AND BE SURE YOU NEVER GIVE IT OUT!!!)

They insure you, by telephone call with them, that you are at no risk...they have sent you a check to deposit in your account..then when it clears, you write a check for a "little less amount" to wire to them, and the balance of that check you received will cover the wire charges from Western Union or MoneGram. (Indeed..they have the "numbers" correct, which can be very misleading...)

Once your "check" from them has cleared, you are directed to send $>
The claim of the "lottery commission" is that once they receive that wired monies from you, you will be presented with a check...either "in person" or by mail/wire...and then say "if by wire/mail/" you have to suffer taxes in the US (a tip off, huh?)..but if it's presented in person...you need to have a financial officer to take care of it...and you can ONLY receive this award if you AGREE to go on TV about your award. BUT...they don't offer any contract about the TV presentation, etc. which is another tip-off...although they'll say they wouldn't do that until they receive the monies back and process the claim. HA....

AND..furthermore, they will tell you not to "tell anyone" about this...in words: "We ask that you keep this award from public notice until your claim has been processed and money Remitted to your account, as this is part of our security protocol to avoid double claiming or unwarranted taking of advantage of the program by the participants and the public." HUH??? I, in fact, played along with it...acting surprised and so happy that I had no money and it would enable me to "get ahead" a little...and I really didn't care if the USA took 1/2 of the winnings, since that would be the legal thing to do. Still...they advised me to tell Western Union that I was sending money to a "friend" (another TIP OFF so that Western Union doesn't question whether you are sending money for some "flabby/alleged" lottery outside the US)....as if the person on "this end" would do that to avoid those extra "USA taxes".

Trick is...they tell you that you have to claim your prize (meaning you have to have sent them that amount of monies by wire, recontact them (expecting that they've received that money) and then you'll get yours...within about 7-10 days at most. No international check will clear within that amount of time..but unsuspecting individuals will think so and just draw out monies to do that transaction, thinking their 2K/3K (whatever) will clear in the next few days so they aren't losing anything.

Well...I've investigated it and have put it into action (to no loss to myself (assured by my bank), with the bank's cooperation...including microfiche of that check, that looked perfectly legitimate). The "receiving bank" will be on notice...the supposed Sponsor (they put a sponsor's name on that award in the top margin of the check, saying they get a "kick back" of "X" dollars from your total winnings because they are sponsoring a % of the draw/winnings.) is presently "on notice" and there will be a claim put out, soon..not solely to local police...but to the FBI...soon. I did not put this check into an active personal account, rather just to an account to "check up on this" to help others, if (and I expect) this turns out to be bogus. If an international bank tells a US bank that the funds are good...then refuses...how much later? A week...two...three...that they are not good, people can get terribly ripped off...but the bank I've done this with, will have "notice" and "evidence" and hopefully something will be done about it...

I will update more, as I obtain more knowledge...and I will be certain to make sure publications are put out in US newspapers, etc. to alert citizens of this 'scam'.

Elizabeth
Montgomery, Alabama
U.S.A.