Hello and thank you for entrusting me to answer your question.

Unfortunately, this is a scam and you should avoid any further contact with the individual who sent you that letter.

More specifically, this scammer is operating a variation of what is commonly known as an "advance fee" scam. In this type of scam, individuals are contacted and informed of sweepstakes winnings or some other financial windfall and eventually told that they need to pay a tax, "processing fee" or bank transfer fee in order to receive their winnings. Don't be fooled, there is no prize and the $30 you have been asked to send will go to this scammer and you'll never hear from them again.

See here for examples of other people who have received this exact same scam letter from TLA coral Springs: http://www.scamdex.com/ScamTipReport.php?num=1590

See here for more information about this type of scam generally: http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2006/10/nationalframe.shtm

DO NOT give out your personal information. Keep all bank and credit card information to yourself as it can make you vulnerable to fraudulent use of your accounts or identity theft.

DO NOT respond. Simply corresponding with the operators of this type of scam increases your chances of receiving similar offers.

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