More and more this is becoming a hot topic on the web. Every day it seems there is another criminal mind with criminal intent who sets out to releive us of our money, hope and faith in humanity. By praying on the hopeful (especially in these current economic times) is pure evil.

So we’ve spend some time researching the topic to give our readers a detailed resource for all things related to Lottery Scams and Lottery Hoaxes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lottery_scam
http://www.fraudaid.com/scamspam/lottery/index.htm
http://www.lottery.co.uk/info/scams.asp
http://www.safefromscams.co.uk/FakeLotteryScam.html
http://www.hoax-slayer.com/email-lottery-scams.html
http://www.safefromscams.co.uk/FakeLotteryScam.html
http://www.spamlaws.com/lottery-scams.html
http://www.scambusters.org/foreignlottery.html
http://www.microsoft.com/protect/yourself/phishing/hoaxes.mspx

This may be a little dark, a little macabre but its still very relevant and a warning to those people fortunate enough to win the lottery and have their life changed forever.

On 22 January 2004, 73-year-old Carl Atwood of Elwood, Indiana, who won $73,450 in an Indiana lottery game taped for television, died scant hours later. He was knocked down by a truck and expired shortly thereafter in an Indianapolis hospital.

That evening he had been walking to the grocery store that had sold him a winning ticket when a pickup truck rounded a corner and struck him. (The store was located one block from his home.) “It was at an unlighted intersection, and Mr. Atwood had dark clothing on, so the driver did not see him before he hit him,” Elwood Police Chief Toby R. Barker said.

If you know of any other macabre incidents involving lottery winners, we want to hear from you.

During 2008 the Massachusetts State Lottery Distributed over $900,000,000 in Direct Aid to the cities and towns of the the state. As a lottery policy, A minimum of 45% of revenues stays in the State Lottery Fund to be paid out in prizes. Currently, the Lottery’s prize percentage is over 69%.

Lottery revenues are distributed to the 351 cities and towns of the Commonwealth according to a local aid formula established by the Legislature. Lottery funds are not earmarked for any specific progams, allowing cities and towns to choose how they would like to spend the funds.

This is a great way for a state lottery to distribute its cash. We know that in many countries the lottery dictates where the money should be spent, often ending up in very inefficient expenditure and those causes that could really benefit end up losing out.

If you work with a good bunch of people, it can be a fun way to increase your chances of winning the lottery by pooling together and creating a workplace lottery club. By agreeing to give a portion of all winnings to a local charity you can also feel good about your lottery syndicate if you win.

Workplace lottery clubs are one of the easiest ways for employees to give regularly to charity. Winners Club has the added bonus of a cash back prize. These clubs are easy to set up and has have proven very popular. In the UK alone there are over 10,000 workplace lottery clubs. In the USA the number is predicted to be 10 times that of England.

Visit theLotter to get more information on lottery syndicates and how to begin creating a
workplace club with your friends and collegues.

A teenage student from Cumbria was bitten on the bottom by her dog as she screamed in delight at winning £7m on the EuroMillions lottery. She was one of 15 people who scooped a slice of Friday’s £102m jackpot. I didn’t know what to do with my ticket, so after hiding it in my bra and jewellery box, I settled for my gym bag until it was confirmed I was a winner.”

Fullagar, of Ravenglass, said Brock, a Parson Jack Russell terrier, took a bite after becoming unsettled by her wild celebrations. The 18-year-old, who hid her winning ticket in her bra, is organising an Egyptian holiday and wants a Ford Ka. Miss Fullagar was due to start a law degree next year Miss Fullagar, who is on a gap year before starting a law degree in 2009, said:

“At first I thought I had matched three numbers, so I couldn’t believe it when I realised I had the five main numbers plus one Lucky Star. “My mum called the National Lottery Line and it was only then that I realised I had won a share of the jackpot. We were both screaming so loudly that my dog, Brock, didn’t know what was happening and bit me on the bottom.

In 2007, Donna Campbell became suspicious of her husband, Arnim Ramdass, when he started to keep the television turned off and disconnected the phone line. Her suspicions rose when she found a postcard about a new home purchase.

But Campbell was unaware that her husband was hiding a $10.2 million secret from her until she Googled her husband’s name and lottery number. She found a Florida lottery press release that named 17 airline mechanics who won the jackpot, her husband was one of them.

The group of mechanics opted for the lump-sum payment of $10.2 million, meaning each of the 17 winners would receive about $600,000 before taxes. Since the winning, Ramdass took a leave of absence from work, according to his co-workers. He hasn’t shown up at the couple’s home and servers can’t find him to hand him the lawsuit papers: she wants half the money and out of the marriage.

ATT: WINNING NOTIFICATION/FINAL NOTICE

Sir/MadamWe are pleased to inform you of the result of the Lottery Winners International program held on the 14th December 2008,organised by the above named body.

Your e-mail address attached to ticket number: 2051146-6 with serial
number: 472-9717 drew lucky number; 8-66-97-22-4, which consequently won in
the 2nd category. You have therefore been approved for a lump sum pay- out
of: US$ 250,000.00 (Two Hundred and fifty thousand United States Dollars)
CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Also note that due to mix up of some numbers and names, we ask that you keep your winning information very confidential till your claim has been processed and your
prize/money remitted to you. This is part of our security protocol to avoid double
claiming and unwarranted abuse of this program by some participants.

All participants were selected through a computer hi-tech ballot software drawn from over 20,000,000 companies and 30,000,000 individual e-mail addresses from all over the world.

This promotional program is sponsored by 450 non-governmental foundations,350
religious organisations and 420 solicited companies all over the world. Be reminded that a minimum of 10% of your prize must go to a registered and reputable charity
organisation in your locality.

To file for your claim, please contact our/your fiducial agent;

Congratulations once more!

Sincerely Yours’

NOTE:that all claims not processed before the 30th of January,2009 stands forfeited!!!

For many of us, the concept, the very thought of winning the lottery is a dream come
true, many call it the archetypal American dream. However for many people becoming an
overnight millionaire turned into an lifetime nightmare.

Evelyne Adams won the lottery twice, a total of $5.4m between 1985/86.
She said “Winning the lottery isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be, today all
my money has gone and i still live in a trailer” I won the American dream but I
lost it, too. It was a very hard fall. It’s called rock bottom,” says Adams.

“Everybody wanted my money. Everybody had their hand out. I never learned one
simple word in the English language — ‘No.’ I wish I had the chance to do
it all over again. I’d be much smarter about it now,” says Adams, who also
lost money at the slot machines in Atlantic City.

“I was a big-time gambler,” admits Adams. “I didn’t drop a million dollars, but it was a lot of money. I made mistakes, some I regret, some I don’t. I’m human. I can’t go back now so I just go forward, one step at a time.”

So think twice before setting your dreams and thing again if you win… plan your lottery winnings carefully

Some playing guidelines for the Illinois State Lottery

Amount: $1 per game.

Biggest Payout: Jackpots start at $12 million and grow to Mega Millions. Plus there are
8 other ways to win (see chart).

Game Choices: Ask for a Play Slip and pick 5 unique numbers, 1-56 (White) and 1
additional number 1-46 (Mega Ball). Or, ask for a Quick Pick (automatic selection).

Dates of Draws:Ask for either Tuesday or Friday’s 10:00 p.m. draw, each broadcast live
on WGN-TV. Winning numbers are also published in most local newspapers.

People often ask where the concept of Lottery / Lotto came from, so here goes a brief
history 101 of lottery. The origins of lotteries go back and wide. In the bible “Casting
lots” is mentioned. The first real lottery to give winners prizes bgan in Florence, Italy, in
the early 16th century. It was called “Lotto de Firenze” which is why in many parts of
the world the Lottery is still referred to as the ‘Lotto’

During Colonial times, lotteries becam popular in America. Most took palce to support
charities or local fund raising purposes such as churches, schools and community
centers.

In the 19th century due to a range of draconian laws and prohibitions on gambling arroud
the world, lottery popularity fell by the wayside. Things returned in late in the 20th
century. New Hampshire held its first state lottery in 1964. Followed by other states in
coming years. Popularity grew with the prize levels till today where over 100 million
people play the lottery every week.