One of the ways that scam artists try to convince people to hand over sensitive information like their bank or credit card numbers, or even to write out a check to cover "fees" or "taxes," is by masquerading as a legitimate company. Sometimes they go through quite a lot of effort to make the letters seem legitimate, by copying company logos and even using the names of actual executives in their mails.

One example of this is the Heineken Lottery Scam, which congratulates recipients on winning "prizes" like $5,000,000 cash, a new car, etc. All they have to do to claim the prize is to write a little check. Oh, and hurry, this offer isn't good long!

Anyone who is familiar with the Top Warning Signs of a Sweepstakes Flag should be seeing some red flags right now. Private companies cannot legally hold lotteries in the United States, and no legitimate sweepstakes will ever ask you to pay to receive prizes. So no, unfortunately those Heineken lottery notices are simply scams. Although the company does hold legitimate sweepstakes from time to time, real winners would not be asked to pay money to receive a prize.

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How to Research Your Wins to Avoid Scams | Where to Report Sweepstakes Fraud