Addleshaw, Bird & Mitchell
Complaint 287069 Details

Adding to the alert on this company. Received letter informing me that I allegedly won $2,997,500.00 and needed to send the company a $20 "folio release" fee for "assessment to the amount so noted above and in the official letter".

Note that back of page in the "Consumer disclosure" section, it reveals that:

1) This is a promotion, with the usual "No purchase necessary" and "odds of winning are not improved by purchase" clauses, followed by a means to send in the mailing without purchasing anything (which is harder than just placing it into the enclosed envelope)

2) As a "promotional" program, everyone is guaranteed to win something -- $1.00. Odds to win anything other than $1.00 are 1 in 3 million.

In spite the front page's implication that I have won over $2m, the words used are "disbursement total" meaning the total pot for this "promotional", not a single prize amount. The letter misleads by using phrases like "up to and including the $2,997,500.00 multiple payor funds" implying the $2m is one prize. The use of bold words for "confirmed by a data audit for receipt of a check" and "guaranteed payment" may lead some to believe that the $2m is guaranteed and waiting for them, when the only sum guaranteed is $1.00 as listed on back. Nowhere on the front is there any indication that the actual prizes distributed are different. Only the $2m number is seen.

Fine print in back reveals largest sum award is $10,000 along with prizes of $1,000, $500, $250, $100, and $50. Note that all these prizes are listed having the odds of 1 in 3 million.

3) The fine print boiler plate makes the page appear legal and "in good faith", but the wording on the front all but demands you send them $20 for a report detailing how they are disbursing the nearly $3 m funds, of which you are only guaranteed $1.00 and having your name in their system as a gullible person to send more spam/scams to.