Sweepstakes Scam Email:
HONDA AWARD COMPANY - Luck Dip Sweepstakes
"Mr. Robert Johnston", "Mrs. Linda Markwood or Barrister Williams Morgan"
Have you received an email from "Mr. Robert Johnston" at "HONDA AWARD COMPANY - Luck Dip Sweepstakes" telling you that "your
email address won in the second category" or something similar, and to
contact "Mrs. Linda Markwood or Barrister Williams Morgan" to collect your winnings? It says you won a new Honda
car and 350,000 pounds ($700,000)... and they sent all that to a "shipment
company". Oh, yes, that makes sense. Have a promotion to create
publicity, then when you select a winner, give the prizes (and money) to an
unknown "shipment company" and make the winner pay "deliver fees". And have no
publicity at all surrounding the deliver of the prize. In fact, insist on
secrecy. Also, the emails all come from (and reply back to) free Hotmail
accounts (not Honda.com) and they close with "God Bless" (not an appropriate
closing for a business email).
If you give this even 1 second of serious consideration, we'd
like to shame you into feeling like a gullible moron. Because that's who
falls for such a ridiculous scam as this.
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 "HONDA AWARD COMPANY - Luck Dip Sweepstakes".
This scammer even went to the lengths of creating a pdf form to
make it look more official -
click here to see the scam form.
Although the most important clue is that no legitimate
lottery will ever email a winner, there are many other signs that this is a fraud.
We have
highlighted some of these 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 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?
-
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!
Here is a typical scam sweepstakes winning notification.
Actual scam email (One example - the scammers constantly change
names, dates and addresses!):
First, here's what the potential victim (he saw through the scam and sent it
to us instead) wrote to us:
I have received
the following emails from what I believe is a scam. The emails I received are
in order from the oldest to the most recent. I will also attach the file
I was supposed to use to claim the prize and send the money via Western Union.
First email from the scammer:
Get the power of Windows + Web with the new Windows Live.
Get it now!
HONDA AWARD COMPANY
76, WESTKENT AVENUE,
STRAFFORT STREET
K3677 LONDON
UNITED KINGDOM
ATTENTION: <your name>,
RE: HONDA AWARD WINNER IDENTIFICATION NUMBER :{ HCUKWIN/2007}
I am in receipt of your email and I must say that you should count yourself
extremely lucky to have emerged as one of our winners in this year lucky dip
sweepstakes. As you already know your email address was randomly selected along
with others from over 100,000 unions, associations, and corporate bodies that
are listed on-line. Each email address was attached to a ticket number. Your
email <your email
address> was selected as winner.
With the information you provided to this office, our insurance company will be
insuring your winnings to your name. Please do note that
your winnings was sent
to our shipment company (ALLIED COURIER SERVICES) so you are hereby advised to
contact them in other to make proper arrangement on how your winnings can be
shipped to your doorstep.
Below are the contact details to the name of the officer in charge of the
shipment of your winnings.
Mr. Robert Johnston
Director of Operations/ Logistics
ALLIED COURIER SERVICES
75, Highfield Road, Biggin Hill,
Westerham Kent, TN16,
United Kingdom,
Email:
alliedcourierservices@hotmail.com
Tel: +447045713671,
Fax: +447092886240
Do have in mind that this company does not in any way assist any winner to claim
his/ her winnings, so you are advised to contact the
shipment company in other
to make proper arrangement on what will cost you in other to get your won prize
shipped to your doorstep. Please do endeavour to send the following to the
shipment company (Allied Courier Services) in other for them to know which your
claim is.
Order Number: HCUKWIN/2007}
Complete Name:
Complete Contact Address:
Zip Code:
Telephone:
Fax:
Country:
Amount Won: 350.000.00 GBP and a Brand New Honda CR-V Car
Regards,
Barr. Williams Morgan
HONDA AWARD CLAIMS OFFICER.
Please note that this email and any files that may be attached to it, is/are
confidential and is/are intended for the sole use of the individual(s) or entity
(ies) to which it/they is/are addressed. Any use, distribution, copying or
disclosure by any other person or entity is strictly prohibited under applicable
law(s). If you received this email in error, please notify the sender by return
email and delete the original message (making sure it is also deleted from the
Deleted Items folder of your mail client.
ALLIED
COURIER SERVICES
(lets share our
responsibilities)
75, Highfield Road, Biggin
Hill, Westerham,
Kent, TN16, United Kingdom,
Tel:
(+44)- 704 571 3671
Fax: (+44)-709-288-6240
3rd January, 2008
Dear: <your
name>,
ORDER NUMBER: {HCUKWIN/2007}
Good day to you and welcome to Allied Courier
Services where responsibilities are share amoungst customer's and our company.
With details provided in your funds release form, as well as your winning
Verification form, which was made available to us by the HONDA AWARD DEPARTMENT
as, confirmed by you, your package has been prepared for dispatch. This package
includes your original copy of your Certified Winning Cheque, Winning
Certificate, Brand New Honda CR-V Car and other vital documents regarding your
winnings. If there is any change in your delivery address /
receivers name, please inform us ASAP with the updated information,
before making any payment so that we can effect the change before dispatch.
The verification department of the Honda Lottery Promotion
Office for payment has officially cleared you, view attached File and fill sign
and return back to this office via this same email address.
The insurance company declined reverse payment for the
courier, stating that it is against their professional policy towards ensuring
the safe delivery of the draft to you. That if a reverse payment is made, and
something goes wrong, that we/you cannot sue the courier company or insurance
company to recover the full value of the fund as stipulated in the draft since
payment for insurance cover was not made at point of mailing. With the above
reason, reverse payment is ruled out. Forward the cost of mailing your draft
with any of the courier channel cost you choose above to us.
You are advised to make selections from the attached file (
Our Shipment Form) and get back to us on time with the
confirmation of your payment so that we can proceed with shipment.
MODE OF PAYMENT:
You are required to make payment for the shipment of your
winnings via Western Union Money Transfer to our insurance
company's accountant Mrs. Linda Markwood here in the United
Kingdom head office with the following information's
NAME: Mrs. Linda Markwood
ADDRESS: 75, Highfield Road, Biggin Hill, Westerham, Kent, TN16, United
Kingdom,
After which payment is made, you are required to send the
confirmation of your payment (Sender's Name and Address, Amount Sent and
MTCN Number) to this email so that the shipment of your winnings can
commence immediately. Do try and make your self-available on the day of delivery
because our shipment office will be coming along with our camera unit. We look
forward to receiving the confirmation of your payment along side with the sign
copy of our shipment form.
SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
Let's share responsibility when it comes to Driving
• Please Drive responsibly
• You must be 17 years of age or older to drive a car
• Please don't drink and drive
NOTE: YOU ARE REQUIRED TO FILL AND RETURN OUR SHIPMENT
FORM 'VIEW ATTACHED FILE' AND GET BACK TO US WITH THE CONFIRMATION OF YOUR
PAYMENT ALONG SIDE WITH THE SIGN COPY OF THE SHIPMENT FORM .
If you have any question or comments, it will be our pleasure to address
those issues for you. feel free to call or write our customers care centre on:
+447045713671 Email: alliedcourierservices@hotmail.com in
case you have any Questions or comments. Have a nice day and hope to hear from
you soon.
God bless,
Mr. Robert Johnston
Director Of Operations ( Mgt )
ALLIED COURIER SERVICES
Copyright © 2008
All rights reserved
TEL: (+44)- 704 571 3671
NOTE: YOU ARE TO CALL OUR CUSTOMER OR MR.
ROBERT JOHNSTON ON +44 7045713671, IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS/ COMMENTS.
Now the scammer is becoming upset- the victim is
clearly suspecting a scam, so the scammer must turn up the heat. Isn't it
odd that a Honda representative is so illiterate, spells so poorly and tells you
not to listen to your own lawyer. It's not odd when it's a scam!:
Dear <your name>,
Thank you so much for your last
email; I want you to understand that your won packages are a legitimate
proposition so have no doubt regarding this. In other words, people believe so
much that you don’t need to pay money before you received legitimate lotteries.
Yes! That is true when the lotteries are from your country. But what about if
you are not residing in the country where the lottery was held what you think
about that? I don’t understand why people see the truth
and refuses to say it
out.
You said you have contacted a
lawyer to help you check about our company, let me guess what the lawyer will
tell. “THIS IS A SCAM”. That is exactly what he/ she will tell you. But I want
you to understand that if it were him, I mean he is the rightful winner of this
promotion do you think he will say such to him/ her self?
I want you to learn to
relay on your self and God because your mind cannot lead you into any danger.
Regarding our asking you to make
payment, do you know what it takes to get packages shipped outside the
United Kingdom to your country?
Once you make the
required payment, you will get what you paid for. Have a nice day.
Regards,
Mr. Robert Johnston
Director of Operations/
Logistics
ALLIED COURIES SERVICES
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Dear Timothy J. Zupfer,
Compliment of the day to you and your family. with the notice
i received from
the shipment company, you are not to send them an email through this account
alliedcourierservices@hotmail.com because of
some certain reasons which are
yet to be resolved. All further correspondence should be sent to their new email
account
alliedcourierservices@live.com or
alliedcourierservices@gmail.com so that they can respond back to you on
time. Hope you understand the contents of this mail.
Note: YOU ARE CAN NOW REACH THE SHIPMENT COMPANY WITH THEIR NEW EMAIL ACCOUNT
alliedcourierservices@live.com or
alliedcourierservices@gmail.com
Thank you very much for your understanding and co operations.
Best wishes,
Barrister Williams Morgan
HONDA AWARD CLAIMS AGENT
If you believe so much that this is a scam, my advised for you is to withdraw
from, your won package
Share life as it happens with the new Windows Live.
Start sharing!
Names of Scam / Fake / Fraud Lottery
Click here for the huge list of the names of the currently identified lottery
scams companies
* 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.
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