2010 lottery scam warning

Monday, March 1, 2010

Pretoria - FIFA is warning people to be aware of a lottery scam that claims to be linked to the 2010 FIFA World Cup as well as the Local Organising Committee (LOC).

In the scam, people are informed that they have been selected as lottery prize winners and have won substantial sums of money or they are invited to submit a tender.

They are then persuaded to submit personal details and make an upfront payment to enable them to enter the tender process.

FIFA has advised the public to treat any correspondence concerning lottery draws, tenders or competitions with suspicion and extreme caution.

People are also urged not to provide any personal or financial details if requested to do so.

"FIFA reiterates that any such correspondence has no connection with or authorisation from FIFA and is in no way related to the 2010 FIFA World Cup (South Africa) following previous media releases on this topic dating back to 2005 and 2007," said FIFA in a statement.

All information received in South Africa should be forwarded to the South African Police Service.

Information about these scams can be found at: http://www.saps.gov.za/org_profiles/core_function_components/commercial/419_task_team.htm.

Non-South African residents should contact their relevant local authorities.