Notice to Consumers Regarding North American Lotto and Crown Sweepstakes Fraud

There have been reports that members of the general public are receiving letters indicating they have won a cash prize from "North American Lotto, Inc." or received a free grant from "Crown Sweepstakes, Inc." The communications may include a counterfeit check purportedly issued by American Rice to cover the "taxes and fees" for the prize money or grant. Please note that these correspondences are not legitimate, but fraudulent.

If you have received such a letter, we recommend you take the following action:

• Do not send any funds.
• Do not disclose your bank connections, social security number, or any other personal information.
• Avoid calling them on the phone as you may be charged a high rate for the phone call.
• If you have been a victim of this type of fraud, contact your local or federal law enforcement officials as soon as possible.

Most, if not all, foreign lottery or sweepstakes communications sent to U. S. addresses through the mail are fraudulent. Most "lottery scams" are perpetrated by con artists in other countries, sometimes using U.S. addresses to disguise their real locations. The counterfeit checks are authentic looking and may fool some banks into permitting a victim of the scam to deposit the check, which later turns out to be worthless. In the meantime, the victim has forwarded the "taxes and fees" to the bogus company. When the check turns out to be worthless, the victim's money is gone.

Please be aware that American Rice does not have any affiliation with North American Lotto, Inc. or Crown Sweepstakes, Inc. nor does it participate in or sponsor any foreign lottery or sweepstakes. American Rice is currently working with law enforcement officials to stop this illegal activity and the unauthorized use of the American Rice name. Differences in legal systems of other countries, complexities of conducting investigations in other countries, and expenses and other complications involved in pursuing cross-border fraud make pursuing these cases very difficult and lengthy.

American Rice, Inc. 06/06/2006