It is illegal for U.S. citizens to take part in international lotteries. Some companies in Canada and other places in the world (as far away as Europe and Australia) have tried selling lottery tickets to Americans either online, by phone, or in the mail. If you receive such an offer from another country, refuse to take part. These companies will often keep "winnings" for themselves, will place additional charges on your credit cards, and will sell your name to other companies of this type.
If you receive this type of an offer, report the incident to the National Fraud Information Center (toll-free at 1-800-876-7060) or the Federal Trade Commission Consumer Response Center (toll-free at 1-877-382-4357) or the FTC Web site at www.ftc.gov.
Finally, if the offer involved something you received in the mail, contact your local postmaster. You can also contact the U.S. Postal Inspection Service at postalinspectors.uspis.gov/.
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