Mail fraud scam: when “you’ve already won” arrives by post or email

Mail fraud dresses up an old trick in official-looking envelopes, emails, or texts. Here’s how to recognize it, whichever form it arrives in.

What is a mail fraud scam?

Mail fraud uses deceptive mail, sometimes physical letters and increasingly emails or texts styled to look like official mail, to trick recipients into sending money, sharing personal information, or clicking a malicious link. According to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service⁠(opens in new window), which investigates fraud and scams related to the mail, common categories include sweepstakes and lottery scams, fraudulent investment offers, and counterfeit check schemes.

Common versions of this scam

A sweepstakes or lottery scam claims a prize has been won, but a fee, tax, or shipping cost must be paid before the winnings can be released, money that simply disappears once sent, since there was never a real prize to begin with. A counterfeit check scam sends a real-looking check, often for more than an item supposedly sold, then asks the recipient to deposit it and wire back the difference, which leaves them owing the full amount once the check is discovered to be fake. A fake delivery notification, increasingly common by text or email, mimics a legitimate shipping company to prompt a click on a link and provide personal or payment information.

The one rule that exposes almost every version

Across nearly every variation, one detail reliably gives the scam away: a legitimate prize, refund, or payment never requires paying money upfront to receive it. A message asking for a fee, tax, or shipping cost before collecting something supposedly already won or owed is enough on its own to identify it as fraud, regardless of how official the letter, email, or text looks.

How Remitly protects you

Remitly will never notify anyone of a prize, unexpected refund, or payment requiring money to be sent first in order to receive it. A message claiming to be from Remitly about winning something or receiving an unexpected payment that requires a fee to unlock did not come from Remitly.

Red flags to watch for

• Being told a prize was won that wasn’t remembered being entered. A genuine sweepstakes requires an actual entry, not a random notification out of nowhere.

• Any request to pay a fee, tax, or shipping cost to receive a prize or refund. Real winnings and refunds never require an upfront payment.

• A check for more than expected, with instructions to deposit it and wire back the difference. This is one of the most common and costly mail fraud patterns.

• Poor grammar, generic greetings, or a sender address that doesn’t quite match the organization it claims to represent. These are common signs of a fraudulent mailing or message.

Why older adults are frequently targeted by this specific scam

Sweepstakes, lottery, and counterfeit check scams delivered by mail or mail-styled messages have historically targeted older adults disproportionately, in part because these specific scam formats have circulated for decades and evolved alongside changing communication habits. Discussing this specific pattern with an older family member, and encouraging them to check in before responding to any prize notification, adds a meaningful layer of protection.

Why “acting fast” is never actually required for something legitimate

A genuine prize, refund, or payment actually owed does not disappear if a day or two is taken to verify it independently before responding. Any message insisting on action within hours or risk losing an opportunity is applying exactly the kind of artificial time pressure that legitimate organizations, which operate through documented, unhurried processes, simply don’t need to use. For a broader look at how this pattern shows up across different scam formats, this guide to common money transfer scams⁠(opens in new window) covers eleven of the most frequent variations.

Keeping physical evidence if you receive a suspicious mailing

A suspicious letter received through physical mail specifically is worth keeping, original envelope and contents included, rather than discarding, since postal inspectors investigating a pattern of mail fraud rely on this kind of physical evidence, including postmarks and return addresses, to build a case against the people responsible.

Reporting patterns, not just individual incidents

Receiving several similar suspicious mailings over time makes it worth reporting each one, even without a response or loss involved, since this helps investigators identify and act on a pattern more quickly than a single isolated report would. Consistency in reporting, even for attempts that didn’t succeed, genuinely contributes to broader enforcement efforts.

The overlap between mail fraud and other scam categories

Mail fraud frequently overlaps with other categories, since a scammer might use a mail-styled phishing email as the opening move in what becomes an imposter scam or a cryptocurrency scam once the victim responds. Recognizing this overlap helps in applying the same core defenses, verifying independently and resisting urgency, regardless of which specific label ultimately describes the attempt.

In Summary

Mail fraud has adapted from paper letters to emails and texts, but the underlying trick, an unexpected prize or payment that requires money upfront, remains the same and remains reliably fake.

This publication is provided for general information purposes only and is not intended to cover all aspects of the topics discussed herein. This publication is not a substitute for seeking advice from an applicable specialist or professional. The content in this publication does not constitute legal, tax, or other professional advice from Remitly or any of its affiliates and should not be relied upon as such. While we strive to keep our posts up to date and accurate, we cannot represent, warrant, or otherwise guarantee that the content is accurate, complete, or up to date.