Mail Common Last seen May 19, 2026

The Publishers-Clearing-House-style prize letter.

A physical letter or check arrives saying you've won a sweepstakes, and all you have to do is pay a processing fee or taxes upfront.

How it shows up

  • Foreign lottery winner Spanish lottery, Canadian lottery, El Gordo.
  • Inheritance from a relative you have never heard of Often paired with a fake lawyer's email.
  • Sweepstakes you entered at a fair or grocery store Mixed with real entries you forget making.
  • Real-check overpayment Check arrives, deposit and send back the fee.

The envelope looks official. Sometimes it includes a real-looking check, sometimes a glossy certificate, sometimes a phone number to call to claim your prize. The amount is large enough to feel life-changing. The fine print, if there is any, is buried.

The catch is always the same. To get the prize, you have to pay something first. Taxes. Insurance. A processing fee. A customs duty. They want it in gift cards, wire, or cashier’s check. Or they cash the check they sent you and you’ve now agreed to a fee on top.

You cannot win a sweepstakes you did not enter. And no real sweepstakes requires you to pay to receive your winnings. Ever. That’s the whole giveaway, and it never changes.

This one over-indexes on older adults and on people in financial stress. The dream of one big windfall is what the script counts on.

Principles to remember

  1. Gift cards, wire transfers, and crypto are scam currencies

    Legitimate bills, fines, and fees are paid with checks, cards, or bank transfers. If a stranger wants gift cards, Bitcoin, or a wire, the request itself is the scam.

  2. Getting scammed is what these operations are designed to do

    Scams are engineered by full-time professionals targeting normal human reflexes. Anyone can be caught on the wrong day.

  3. You cannot win a contest you didn’t enter

    Prize notifications for sweepstakes you never signed up for are scams. Every time.