Handle a check enclosed with an unexpected lottery letter

Do not deposit a check from an unexpected lottery letter and send part of it back for taxes, fees or processing. The FTC identifies this as a fake-check scam. Even money appearing in a bank balance does not prove the check is genuine; a fake can take weeks to be discovered.

By Junk Mail Magic. Updated October 2, 2026.

Keep the check separate from money you can use

Keep the check, envelope and instructions together. Record the claimed prize and exactly where the letter says to send money, without using those contacts to verify it.
Do not deposit or spend the check to follow the sender’s instructions. A familiar bank name printed on it does not authenticate the offer.
If you already deposited it, contact your bank through its established number or secure account. Explain the prize letter and instructions, and ask what to do about the deposit.
If you sent money onward, contact the payment company promptly and ask about recovery options. Save the transaction evidence and report the scam through the FTC or the relevant USPIS mail-fraud route.

Available funds do not settle the question

The FTC explains that banks must make deposited funds available quickly, while discovering a fake check can take longer. If you send money onward and the check is fake, you can be responsible for repaying the bank. Do not treat a displayed balance as clearance to pay the sender.

This task concerns the enclosed check and any related payment. A request to remove your address from advertising does not investigate the deposit, recover money or report the conduct.

Private check-and-payment timeline

Example for your own use. Replace the bracketed details and review what you share.

Letter and check received: [date] Prize claimed and check amount: [details] Instruction to send money: [exact request] Check deposited: [no / date] Money sent onward: [no / method, date and amount] Verified bank contact: [route and date] Payment-company response: [reference and next step] Report reference: [agency and reference] Original materials stored: [private location]

Keep a timeline of what happened

Record whether the check was deposited, whether money left your account and whom you contacted. Keep bank and report references privately. Follow your bank’s instructions for the original check, and do not send another payment to someone promising a refund.

Official sources

Check a mailed prize notice that asks for a fee Choose between mail-fraud and delivery support routes Preserve a mailer after you paid a suspected scam Suspicious mail All practical mail guides

Keep personal records with the organization that handles them

Junk Mail Magic is for ordinary unwanted advertising. Use the official contact route in this guide for records, account changes or someone else’s correspondence.

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