The British High Commission says it gets letters from many Sri Lankans who have received authentic looking letters claiming they have won prizes in UK lotteries.
Legitimate UK lottery companies DO NOT ask for money or personal banking details to be sent in order to receive winnings, a statement from the British High Commission in Colombo said.
If a member of the public receives an email or letter claiming to be from a lottery they have not entered we advise that they do not reply to it and do not complete any claim forms. Remember, if it looks too good to be true, it probably is.
Guidelines from the UK National Lottery says it does not advise players that they have won a prize by email, or put winning numbers, dates or winning amounts, on email.
The lottery also says it does not ask players for information like names and addresses or bank details in an email.
Tips on how to spot if the correspondence is fraudulent:
¢ There may be a sense of urgency, eg