Have you received an email from "David Jose" at "Euro Million Lottery Sweepstakes - Experimental Bonanza" telling you that "your
email address won in the second category" or something similar, and to
contact "Mrs.Eva Pedro" to collect your winnings? It is a
scam. No legitimate, legal lottery notifies winners via email (see footnote) The scammers may
change the names and details, but it is still a scam!
Below is another example of a fake lottery; this email claims to
be from the "Euro Million Lottery Sweepstakes - Experimental Bonanza".
-
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 excessive and random CapItaLiZAtion.
They often can't even spell "February" or know that "22th" ought to
be "22nd". These scammers usually write at the 3rd grade level.
Being non-native English speakers, they also often get first names and
surnames (last names reversed), so you will frequently see names like "Mr.
SMITH JAMES.", instead of "Mr. James Smith", along with the peculiar usage
of periods (full stops) and spaces or the lack thereof. Real lotteries also proofread their emails
and look and read more professional.
-
Using free email account: The scammer is writing to
you from a FREE email account (Yahoo, Hotmail, Excite, AIM, Gmail, etc.). Don't you think a real organization
would use its own email, its own domain and website? They've got £500,000.00
to give away randomly to you, but they can't afford to buy their own email
address / domain for £5.00? Can you say "obvious scam alert"?
-
Keep Confidential - Real sweepstakes and lotteries THRIVE on
publicity - they don't want you to keep anything secret - the publicity
causes people to enter or buy more of their products. The scammer
want you to keep quiet because they don't want the police or ConsumerFraudreporting to hear about them!
It should read: "For our own security, you are advised to keep your winning
information confidential until we have finished scamming you!"
-
Require the winner to pay - U.S. federal law
prohibits sweepstakes from charging you for anything, not "delivery",
couriers, taxes, fees, handling charges, or anything else!
Van: NEW YEAR PROMOTION [mailto:
vijfeijken@home.nl ]
Verzonden: maandag 7 januari 2008 20:45
Onderwerp: Batch No:901/00319/HLP
The Euro Million Lottery Sweepstakes,
PO Box 42 Peterborough
PE3 8XH
UNITED KINGDOM
Ref No: MELI-T/ 17-F044262312
Batch No:901/00319/HLP
Zonal Draw No: GMLA2-003
Grand Draw No: 12099
WINNING NOTIFICATION
We are pleased to inform you of the announcement today
of your selection as one of the five winners of the Xmas promotion Programme
held recently as part of our
EXPERIMENTAL BONANZA.
You have therefore been approved for a lump sum pay out
of (£500.000.00(G.B.P). the value of the amount comes to ($917,956.00 USD) Nine
Hundred and Seventeen thousand, Nine hundred and fifty-six United States
Dollars.
We in the Euro Million Lottery Sweepstakes is by this
program,Launching our model computer
balloting lottery draws, developed and designed to satisfy the cravings
of the ever-growing number of participants in our various lottery programs.
With funds accrued exclusively from previous draws, payouts to all winners are
guaranteed and will be transferred in record time.
After randomly
selecting 15,000 participants from an initial database of 300,000
emails all participants were selected through a computer ballot system from the
Middle East, Asia, Africa, Canada, Europe, USA and South America as part our
International Promotions Program, which was conducted
in view of launching ourselves into the
Sweepstakes Industry
Worldwide and
zoning all participants by their respective continents from across the
globe, we produced an extensive list from which you have emerged as one of the
winners of the Grand Draw In other to claim your £500,000.00 prize, you will
have to fill the form below and send it back to us for verification and then
you will be inform on how your Cashier's Check for £500,000.00 has already been
deposited with your email contact.
PAYMENT PROCESSING FORM
1.FULL NAMES:__________________________________
2.ADDRESS:_____________________________________________
3.SEX:_______________
4.AGE:________
5.MARITAL STATUS:___________________
6.OCCUPATION:________________________
7.E-MAIL ADDRESS:_____________________________
8.TELEPHONE NUMBER:_____________________
9.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF COMPANY/INDIVIDUAL___________
10.AMOUNT WON:___________________________________
11. COUNTRY________________________________
To file for your claim, please contact our fiduciary
agent Mrs.Eva Pedro
Email:
evapedro300@gmail.com
Please you are
adviced to complete the form and send back to us for prompt collection.
You are automatically disqualified if you are below 18 years of age. Any breach
of confidentiality on the part of the winners will result to disqualification.
This E-mail message (including attachments, if any)is intended for the use of
the individual or entity to which it is addressed and may contain
Information that is privileged, proprietary, confidential and exempted from
disclosure. If you are not the intended recipient, you are notified that any
dissemination, distribution or copying of this communication is strictly
prohibited.
Sincerely,
David Jose
* Re: emails of winnings. We know of only ONE exception in the world to this rule
- and if you bought a ticket from them, you would know it, and would not be
questioning it.
