Fictitious Lottery Winnings

Large numbers of letters and e-mails promising substantial lottery winnings are in circulation, mostly from foreign companies. Fraudulent companies often use a name similar to the trading name of a lottery operator established outside Switzerland. Comlot warns recipients against responding to such messages in any way. Promised payments will at some stage become subject to payment of a "processing fee" or security against gambling duties, or some similar demand for payment.

Another phenomenon in terms of "fictitious lottery winnings" is the written invitations to coach trips with prominently advertised promises of substantial wins. It is only in the small print that addressees are told that they have merely been nominated to win. Event organisers lure participants by telling them that the coach trip and included meal is their last chance to receive the considerable cash prize from a certain competition. However, these so-called "coffee trips are promotional trips during which participants are belaboured by professional sales promotors to buy merchandise. The "winners" never participated in a competition, nor will they receive a prize. On the contrary: rather than taking a cash prize home, many participants will return with goods that they had not originally intended to buy.

These deceitful practices are often virtually tantamount to the offence of fraud. However, malicious intent, which is a requisite for fraud, will usually have to be ruled out. In other words: consumers will not be able to sue for fraud because they should not allow themselves to be misguided by unrealistic promises.