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In these scams, the intended victim receives a flyer or brochure offering a chance to participate in a foreign country's lottery, or shares in a pool which purchases foreign lottery tickets.
One problem with U.S. citizens participating in such schemes is the fact that it is illegal. A federal statute prohibits mailing payments to purchase any ticket, share, or chance in a foreign lottery.
In many cases, money sent to these fraudsters is simply retained by them.
In other cases, the offers are made by foreign "bootleggers" who seek exorbitant fees from those wishing to play. The activities of bootleggers are usually not controlled or monitored by the government of the country in which they are located. Typically, those who pay the required fees never see any lottery tickets issued by legitimate government-operated lottery they believe they are entering and must rely on spurious entry "confirmations" issued by the bootleggers.
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