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Sample Promotion Winning Scam Email: Shell Lottery Promo

Sample Promotion Prize Scam Email:
Shell Lottery Promo
"Jeroen van der Veer", "Harrison Cox"

Have you received an email from "Jeroen van der Veer" at "Shell Lottery Promo" saying you won their promotion or lottery promo and to contact "Harrison Cox" to collect your winnings? It is a scam. Don't get too excited if the names are different; the scammers make many versions of this scam! And don't be impressed by the bright colors and photos; anyone can cut and paste photos and use bright colors; it doesn't add any legitimacy. The line about "10% of your claim will go for the tsunami victims" is odd, at best. If they are your winnings, YOU decide what to do with the money. Shell, or any promoter or lottery can donate their own money however they please. This is merely an attempt by scammers to use a "red herring" to confuse the victim and give it an appearance of altruism. Just like with religious fanatics, those that yell the loudest about values are usually the worst at living them!

It is actually a very simple scam. They claim you won a promotion, which is giving away millions of dollars based on a randomly selected email address. The scam is obvious: it's simply preposterous to think that any company would randomly give away money to encourage you to buy their product. That would be self-defeating.

There are many other signs that this is a fraud that we have highlighted in the email below, not the least of which are:

Email address ballot: There is no such thing as a "computer ballot system" or "computer email draw". No one, not even Microsoft has a database of email addresses of the type or magnitude they suggest.
Terrible spelling, punctuation, syntax and grammar - Scammers apparently don't know how to use spell checkers. We assume they dropped out of school before that class. They use almost random CapItaLiZAtion and often can't even spell "February" or know that "22th" ought to be "22nd". These scammers usually write at the 3rd grade level.
Using free email account: The scammer is writing to you from a FREE email account (Yahoo, Hotmail, etc.). Don't you think a real organization would use its own email, its own domain and website? Wouldn't they want to promote that?
What are they promoting? No one promotes "world peace" or "use of the internet" by handing out millions to random strangers. And if they are promoting a product, then this must be the world's worst promotion, because no one has heard of it, outside of the email you just received.
Pay a fee to collect the prize: Nope, it is illegal for free sweepstakes and promotions to charge you ANYTHING! Of course, in a scam, that is the whole point: to get you to send money to the scammer.

It is a typical scam promotion sweepstakes winning notification. Also see these pages:

Sample scam email

From: SHELL UK PROMO < r_s_uk75@hotmail.co.uk > wrote:



Shell Lottery Promo
Shell Management

Shell Center London,

SE1 7NA,
(Customer Services)

+447035901803.

Ref: Ng/9420X2/68
Batch: 074/05/ZY369

WINNING

NOTIFICATION OF YOUR WINNING

We happily announce to you the draw (#951) of the Shell Lottery Promo, online Shell program held on 5th of march 2007. Your e-mail address attached to ticket number: 56475600545 188 with Serial number 5368/02 drew the lucky numbers: 02-19-28-33-44-49 (bonus no.21), which subsequently won you the lottery JACKPOT category i.e match 6. You have therefore been approved to claim a total sum of $1,100.000.00 (One million one hundred thousand dollars only) in cash credited to file KTU/9023118308/03. This is from a total cash prize of 2,800,000.00 shared amongst four (4) lucky winners in this category.
All participants for the online version were selected randomly from World Wide Web sites through Ballot draw system and extracted from over 100,000 unions, associations, and corporate bodies that are listed online. This promotion takes place weekly.

Note that 10% of your claim will go for the tsunami victims. Please note that your lucky winning number falls within our African booklet representative office in Africa as indicated in your play coupon. In view of this, your $1,100.000.00 (One million one hundred thousand dollars only) would be released to you by any of our payment offices. Our agent will immediately commence the process to facilitate the release of your funds as soon as you contact him. For security reasons, you are advised to keep your winning information confidential till your claims is processed and your money remitted to you in whatever manner you deem fit to claim your prize. This is part of our precautionary measure to avoid double claiming and unwarranted abuse of this program.

To file for your claim. please contact Your fiduciary agent.

Name: Harrison Cox. (Shell Fund. Mgt.)

Email: shell_custormer_service1@yahoo.co.uk

Note: All claims must be made before the 30th of March 2007.

Mr Jeroen van der Veer

APPROVED

Good luck & congratulation,

The Shell Lottery Promo.

***