THIS IS A SCAM. This is a version of the advance-fee for a sweepstakes prize scam described here http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/menus/consumer/phone/prizes.shtm which lists several flavors. This type of scam is also being used for fake loans and grants (you have to send them money before they send you a loan or grant). They may send you a fake check, may want your credit/debit card or bank account number, or tell you to wire cash via Western Union, Moneygram, etc. They can put recurrent monthly charges or a 1-time charge on your card or bank account, and sell account info to other criminals and you'll have to replace accounts altogether. Wired-cash is irretrievable - once it's picked up at the other end, it's untraceable and gone. Report to US Postal Service Inspectors https://postalinspectors.uspis.gov/forms/MailFraudComplaint.aspx , the Federal Communications Commission http://esupport.fcc.gov/complaints.htm , the Federal Trade Commission https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/ and your state AG, as appropriate.
This is a scam. Brett Lewis is changing scams, either to run several scams in parallel at the same time or he's changing the scam story because he's not getting very far with the lottery scam. See my reply to tina shaw above.
My elderly parents who are on a very limited fixed income were scamed by a caller from this phone number who called himself John Clark. He represented himself as an attorney with the Lewis T. Handrom Law Firm in Brooklyn, NY. He said they had won the Reader's Digest Sweepstakes of nearly $1,000,000 dollars. He proceeded to swindle them out of a great deal of money using the pretext of required tax payments and fees due on the winnings before they could be released. He used the Money Pak "Green Dot" debit cards that can be purchased at Wal Mart and other stores as the vehicle for obtaining cash from his victims. This has caused a great deal of hardship and heartache for our family. If there is any justice in this world, this con artist will be caught and spend many years rotting in prison. Anyone who receives a call from this number should immediately contact the authorities.
My 88 year old father has been the victim of this Brett Lewis predator. He has been scammed out of thousands! The imposter represents himself to be a lawyer collecting fees in order to turn over sweepstake winnings and has hounded my dad by telephone to the point of nearly making him have a breakdown. This man needs to be caught and at at the very least jailed. The creep is lower than whale poop! With any luck, he'll walk in front of a moving bus.