United Pacific Lottery?

I got a notice in the mail telling me that I'd won the 'United Pacific Lottery' for $200K. Enclosed with the notice was a very litigitimate looking check for $1,975 from a company called Palmer Petroleum. I called the number listed on the letter (306-880-2935) and spoke to 'Anthony Smith' who answered the phone. He explained that Palmer Petroleum was offering to 'finance' my 'prize processing fee' ($1,975) in exchange for 10% of my winnings. I was not obligated to cash the check, but if I did, I committed to give Petroleum roughly $18K (hence, their benefit in this scenario). He said that after the check cleared, I should call back and I would be given instructions to mailgram (wire) the $1,975 to start my prize processing. Pacific would send Petroleum a check for their part and the rest to me by UPS - for which I needed to be home, provide two forms of picture id, and fill out a tax form and give it directly back to the UPS driver. Anyhone aware of this or know it's a scam? tx
WOW! I got the same letter!

Let me make this easy for you. IT IS A FAKE!! You want to know how? Go on-line and find Palmer Petroleums MAIN web site and call them. Ask for their ACCOUNTS PAYABLE department. They will surely tell you it's fake.

I got the same letter and same check you got with exception to the fact that the company listed on the check was 'VISTAWAL GROUP'. The FRAUDS included a MAIN # for Vistawal group which IS NOT THE COMPANY... IT'S THEM! I went on-line, got ahold of the vistawall's REAL #, called their accounts payable and they were VERY WELL AWARE of the scam. They asked me to fax them the check and letter. They also told me, that Pacific Lottery is in fact a REAL company... BUT... it's not UNITED pacific Lottery... They specifically give details of the fraud alert. I have gone ahead and looked up all the info you'll need!

Here is the main contact information to Palmer Petroleum:


401 Edwards Street, Suite 1400
Shreveport, LA 71101-3143
Phone (318) 222-0517
Fax (318) 424-3256

Here is the main website to Pacific Lottery:

Pacificlottery.ca

They give the following message at the bottom (which I am cutting and pasting)

Lottery Scams Advisory:

Please be advised that Pacific Lottery Corporation does not offer any Lottery games or prizes directly to the general public, Therefore any communication purporting to use our name for the distribution of any awards or prizes should be treated with extreme caution.

They include a detailed report via link, which I have also cut and pasted for you:

Recent Lottery Scam News:
WARNING! Counterfeit Check “Lottery” Scams Hit Iowa

Attorney General and Iowa Lottery Warn Consumers about Scams That Promise Huge Lottery Winnings, but Deceive People with Bogus Checks

DES MOINES, Iowa, USA (January 16, 2007) -- Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller and Iowa Lottery CEO Dr. Ed Stanek issued a joint warning Tuesday about a wave of counterfeit-check lottery scams - mailings that have induced Iowans to wire off thousands of dollars to try to claim what are described as large lottery or sweepstakes prizes.
“The crooks get the money, and the victim gets nothing but a big loss and the bank coming back for its money,” Miller said. “Typical victims lose $2,900 to $3,900 or more, with the promised winnings never to be seen. And the crooks are almost certainly in Canada, Africa or Europe, impossible to trace and punish. Consumers have to be smart and reject this wave of lottery scams, and all forms of counterfeit check scams.”

Stanek said that the Iowa Lottery and Attorney General's Office have received scores of letters, calls and e-mails in recent months from Iowans about the scams. He also said that the scams are becoming more sophisticated - many are now using the names of real lotteries and well-known logos such as that for the Powerball game. Stanek said many Iowans have had close calls - they were so curious about “prize award” letters they'd received that they contacted authorities to ask if they were real.

“We warned them about the scams and hopefully, they didn't fall for them,” Stanek said. “The volume of inquiries we're receiving tells us we need to educate Iowans about the dangers of these scams.

“Remember that the only lottery legally authorized to operate in Iowa is the Iowa Lottery,” he said. “You have to buy a ticket or enter one of our promotions to win, and the Iowa Lottery will never charge you to claim a prize.”

Miller said his office heard last week from a northern Iowa woman who had wired $3,500 for “processing fees and taxes” to try to collect a $175,000 “lottery prize,” and an eastern Iowa man who lost $2,900 in “taxes and administration fees” in an attempt collect a $50,000 “prize.” In both cases, the money was sent to so-called “lottery award agencies” supposedly based in Canada. Canadian and U.S. officials very rarely can recover such funds and catch and punish the con artists.

“These are very nasty scams threatening thousands of people,” Miller said. “All signs indicate that hundreds of these letters are hitting in Iowa now. People usually are skeptical, but their guard goes down when their bank provides the funds from the check, and their hopes get high for an unexpected windfall. The checks are extremely good counterfeit versions of bank cashier's checks, corporate checks, or even U.S. Postal money orders. They easily can fool even bank tellers.”

Banks are required by federal law to make funds available by the next business day for bank cashier's checks and U.S. Postal money orders, and within five days for corporate checks, Miller said. Consumers may see funds in their account or even be told the funds are available - but that is not good enough. Until funds have finally been collected by the local bank from the issuing bank (which can take days or weeks), the consumer must not count on the checks being authentic.

The Attorney General's Office and Lottery are developing consumer protection ads to warn about the scams and plan to release the ads later this winter. In addition, the Attorney General's Office has issued consumer advisories about the scams and the Lottery has added a new “Player Security” page to its Web site to provide information about the scams and other security tips. The Lottery also will provide warnings about the scams through its retailer and player newsletters.

Miller and Stanek gave these tips to avoid lottery and sweepstakes scams:

•Never wire funds from a check you've received to pay “taxes or fees” for a promised lottery or sweepstakes prize. You'll never see your money again. Reject any kind of scheme that sends you a check and asks you to wire money back.
•To avoid all types of lottery scams, never believe a letter, phone call or Internet message from anyone who claims they can guarantee you a prize! Legitimate lotteries do not guarantee that you will win a prize and do not require people to join prize pools to play.
•Never pay processing fees, insurance or commissions to claim a lottery prize. Legitimate lotteries do no require winners to pay anything up front to receive a prize.
•Keep your Social Security, credit card and bank account numbers to yourself. Scam artists ask for them with the goal of accessing your accounts and stealing your money.

If you have been the victim of a counterfeit check scam, unfortunately, it is highly likely that the money is gone, with little hope of tracing or recovering it - usually to Canada, Africa, or Europe. (Wired money can be picked up almost anywhere in the world, no matter where it appears to be addressed.) Contact the Attorney General's Office for advice and information about agencies that may be able to use your information or assist you. The Attorney General's Office also needs your information to keep tabs on the frequency and forms of counterfeit check scams so it can work to “inoculate” consumers and help them avoid the scams.

Canadian law enforcement agencies and their “Phonebusters” project have had some success in fighting scams. The U.S. Secret Service is the U.S. agency the leads efforts against international white collar crime.

SOURCE: Iowa Lottery. Please visit the lottery’s web site www.ialottery.com for contact information.

I hope this helped you out!!! What the guy before me said is CORRECT. That's EXACTLY what they do. You deposit the check, WIRE them the money, and they are GONE. Leaving you to have to pay the bank back on your AUTHORIZED transaction.

David E.
Of course it is a scam, first there is no processing fee to win any legal lottery, your taxes would just be held out of the winnings,

Next why would they send you a check, for you to send them back the money, they would just send you a legal form to send back agreeing to pay them a percent for thier role in it.

What happens, is this check will be fake, but a fraud and it will take longer than normal for it to bounce, so after you send them the money they are gone.

And even the UPS thing has to tell you it is a fake, the UPS does not require two forms of ID and most certain does not wait for you to fill forms out nor do they just take back signed forms, but require UPS packs to be done.


Answer:
You never, ever need to pay a processing fee if you are lucky enough to win the lottery -- especially if it's a lottery you didn't buy a ticket for. The check is a counterfeit. Take it to the police and turn it in, do NOT try to cash it!

To quote from fraud.org --
'The checks are fake but they look real. In fact, they look so real that even bank tellers may be fooled. Some are phony cashiers checks, others look like they’re from legitimate business accounts. The companies whose names appear may be real, but someone has dummied up the checks without their knowledge.

You don’t have to wait long to use the money, but that doesn’t mean the check is good. Under federal law, banks have to make the funds you deposit available quickly – usually within one to five days... But just because you can withdraw the money doesn’t mean the check is good, even if it’s a cashier’s check. It can take weeks for the forgery to be discovered and the check to bounce.

You are responsible for the checks you deposit. That’s because you’re in the best position to determine the risk – you’re the one dealing directly with the person who is arranging for the check to be sent to you. When a check bounces, the bank deducts the amount that was originally credited to your account.... In some cases, law enforcement authorities could bring charges against the victims...'
I just got rich today. Ha Ha. Ive known my whole life I am unlucky. I have to make my own luck. I was smart enough to type in United Pacific Lottery and this is what popped up. I am also calling the bank right now. Ridiculous. Dont they think I would remember that I bought a ticket for a lottery or something. Insane. Glad I didnt jump up and down for joy. LOL