Beware of this one folks, it comes in your mail.
Yesterday, we recieved a very official-looking letter, with all kinds of seals and stamps on it. Of course, the real kicker is the URGENT NOTICE! written in large, bold letters.
Basically, the letter states that my wife is "a verified and confirmed recipient of reported cash/prize opportunities totaling over $3,276,450.00" and that it has to be claimed by midnight Oct 8th, 2009. It also states that she has to act immediately by (1) signing the Prize Report Claim and (2) sending a $20 "transfer fee" by cash, check, or money order. And the last line states "ENVELOPE MUST BE POSTMARKED BY MIDNIGHT OF DEADLINE DATE OR YOUR CLAIM WILL BE VOIDED FOR PROCESSING."
Folks - you NEVER have to pay ANYTHING to claim a prize...EVER! That's the first tip off. Second tip off was you had to send it to a P.O. box in Las Vegas, even though the letterhead said, "State of Washington Commissioners of Registration".
A quick search on Google not only revealed there is no such entity, but provided a ton of scam information on this company, including federal prosecution by the FTC and the Nevada attorney general. Somehow this scammer still continues to do his deed and lure in greedy, unsuspecting (and dumb) victims.
So tell every idiot you know to thow the letter away if they get it in the mail. And send them this link if they don't believe you:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&source=hp&q=prize+information+bureau+scam&aq=2&oq=prize+inform&aqi=g5g-m5