Attorney General Darrell McGraw says his office is being inundated with calls about a new approach to an old scam.

Consumers say they have received e-mails from various companies notifying them they've won money in an "international lottery."

One such company, Lottery Winners International, e-mailed consumers saying they'd each won a million dollars.

The e-mail warns consumers to tell no one about their good luck, but to call a telephone number outside the United States to find out how to get their money.

The consumers who call are told they have to send a fee ranging from $25 to more than $1,000 to the company to claim their winnings.

McGraw warns that once you send money to another country, there's virtually no way to get it back.

In West Virginia, it's illegal for a person to be charged money to collect a prize.

Some consumers are also contacted by these international lottery companies the old-fashioned way, through the mail. Others receive faxes.

Victims of these scams are advised to contact the attorney general's Consumer Protection Division at 1-800-368-8808.