Sample Lottery Scam Email:
MICROSOFT CORPORATION WORD LOTTERY
From "REV CHARLES DICKSON"
If you fell for this scam,
please shoot yourself now
Below is yet another example of an truly unbelievably phony lottery scam, this one using the name "MICROSOFT CORPORATION WORD LOTTERY". This is really one of the most pathetic scams attempts we've ever seen. The scammers even put as Microsoft's motto: "Fighting Poverty Around the World". For one of the largest and greediest companies on earth, that ALONE ought to clue you in that it is a fraud. Another HUGE clue is that the email is sent from and replies to a Yahoo account. Yahoo is a competitor of Microsoft. Can you say "duh!"? And since when do churches allow their clergy to run lottery programs for private corporations?
If you fell for this scam, we suggest you join a monastery (or convent, as appropriate) and take a vow of silence. You're hopelessly naive and clueless.
There are many signs that this is a fraud, not the least of which is that Microsoft never has and never will sponsor a lottery, of any kind. Bill Gates has made that pretty clear. And, by the way, Microsoft is not, does not, and will not ever send you to DisneyWorld. They don't "test the internet", nor sponsor email lotteries to "promote use of the internet".
In addition to the usual clues, notice the gibberish writing, excessive/incorrect use of CAPITAL letters, lack of decent punctuation. The sentences don't even make sense. Hardly what a professional (i.e., real) lottery would do. Note the other clues to an obvious fraud that we have highlighted in the letter; keep confidential, selected by a random computer lottery of email addresses, use of free email accounts, etc.
Here is a typical scam lottery winning notification.
Also see this page for a sample in the UK.
MOTTO: FIGHTING POVERTY ROUND THE WORLDFROM: THE DESK OF THE E-MAIL PROMOTIONS MANAGER INTERNATIONAL PROMOTIONS/PRIZEAWARD DEPARTMENT, MICROSOFT CORPORATION WORD LOTTERYUNITED KINGDOM.61-70 Southampton Row, Bloomsbury London United Kingdom WC1B 4AR.REFERENCE NO: MSW-L/200-26937BATCH NO: 2006JANUARL#22WINNER NO: 5ELECTRONIC MAIL AWARD WINNING NOTIFICATIONAWARD PRESENTATION CENTER: UNITED KINGDOMDEAR WINNER,MICROSOFT COOPERATION MANAGEMENT WORLDWIDE ARE PLEASED TO INFORM YOU THAT YOU ARE A WINNER OF OUR ANNUAL M-S WORLD LOTTO LOTTERY (MSWLL) CONDUCTED IN LONDON BEING THE HOST OF THE EVENT FOR THIS PRESENT YEAR MEGA JACKPOT LOTTO WINNING PROGRAMS HELD ON 2TH FEB,2007.YOUR PERSONAL E-MAIL ADDRESS OR COMPANY EMAIL WAS ATTACHED TO MSWLL WITH SERIAL NUMBER S/N-00168.YOUR E MAIL ADDRESS DREW THE LUCKY NUMBERS 824-13-831-37-10-68 AND CONSEQUENTLY WON IN THE FIRST LOTTERY CATEGORY. YOU HAVE THEREFORE BEEN APPROVED FOR LUMP SUMS OF# 350,000 (THREE HUNDRED FIFTY THOUSAND GBP POUNDS) PAYABLE IN CASH CREDITED TO FILE REF NO: MSW-L/200-26937. THIS IS FROM TOTAL PRIZE MONEY OF 6,000,000 GBP POUNDS, SHARED AMONG THE TWENTY (20) LUCKY INTERNATIONAL WINNERS IN FIRST AND SECOND CATEGORY.ALL PARTICIPANTS WERE SELECTED FROM WORLD WIDE WEBSITES (WWW)ESPECIALLY YAHOO MAIL THROUGH OUR MICROSOFT COMPUTER BALLOT SYSTEM DRAWN AMONGST OVER 1 BILLION USERS FROM CANADA, ASIA, AUSTRALIA, UNITED STATE, EUROPE, MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA.THIS INTERNATIONAL "E-MAIL" PROMOTIONS PROGRAM IS CONDUCTED ANNUALLY FOR OUR PROMINENT M-S USERS ALL OVER THE WORLD.THIS IS AIMED AT ENCOURAGING THE USE OF INTERNET AND COMPUTERS WORLDWIDE.YOUR FUND (CERTIFIED CHEQUE) HAS BEEN INSURED WITH YOUR REF NO: MSW-L/200-26937 AND IS READY FOR DELIVERY. IT WILL BE DELIVERED TO YOU BY ONE OF OUR CLAIM/PAYMENT AGENT IN CHARGE OF YOUR ZONE. YOUR E-MAIL ADDRESS SHOULD BE USED IN ALL CORRESPONDENCE WITH YOUR CLAIMS/PAYMENT OFFICER. PLEASE NOTE THAT YOU ARE TO CONTACT YOUR CLAIMS OFFICER VIan email AND PHONE AS WE ARE PROMOTING THE USE OF E-MAIL. ALSO YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO CALL HIM TO CONFIRM YOUR WINNINGS AND GOVERNMENT TAX PAYMENT OF WHICH YOU HAVE TO PAY TO THE LEGAL OFFICE FOR THE LEGALITY OF YOUR WINNING IN THE GOVERNMENT THAT IS ALL, AS HE (your zonal claim agent) WILL PROVIDE YOU WITH THE NECESSARY DETAILS ON HOW TO CLAIM YOUR PRIZE.NOTE: THE ABOVE AMOUT GOVERNMENT TAX CAN NOT BE DEDUCT FROM YOUR WINNING PRIZE BECAUSE THE AUTHORITY HAS INSURED ALL WINNING TO A SECURITY INSURANCE.AS PART OF OUR SECURITY PROTOCOL YOU ARE TO QUOTE THIS SECURITY CODE 15513-2MSW AND ALSO FILL THE ACCEPTANCE FORM AND THEN SEND TO YOUR CLAIMING/PAYMENT AGENT. THIS IS TO PREVENT SCAM .ACCEPTANCE FORM
(YOU ARE EXPECTED TO FILL THIS FORM WITH BOLD LETTERS)
SURNAME ...................................................................................
FIRSTNAME ................................................................................SEX ........................ OCCUPATION ............................................DATE OF BIRTH ......................................... AGE .......................CONTACT ADRESS ....................................................................PHONE NUMBER .......................................................................COUNTRY ..................................................................................STATE .......................................................................................E MAIL ADDRESS .........................................................................CLAIMS AGENT OFFICER CONTACT EMAIL ISNAME: REV CHARLES DICKSONREMEMBER, ALL PRIZE MONEY MUST BE CLAIMED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. ALL FUNDS NOT CLAIMED ON OR BEFORE THE FIXED DATE WILL BE RETURNED AS UNCLAIMED AND DONATED TO CHARITY ORGANIZATION IN AFRICA .NOTE: IN ORDER TO AVOID MISTAKES, PLEASE REMEMBER TO QUOTE YOUR REFERENCE, BATCH NUMBERS AND YOUR SECURITY CODE OF 15513-2MSW IN ALL CORRESPONDENCES WITH YOUR CLAIMS OFFICER.CONGRATULATIONS, ONCE MORE FROM THE ENTIRE MANAGEMENT AND STAFF OF MICROSOFT COOPERATION TO ALL OUR LUCKY WINNERS THIS YEAR. THANK YOU FOR BEING PART OF THIS PROMOTIONAL LOTTERY PROGRAM. OUR SPECIAL THANKS AND GRATITUDE TO BILL GATE OF MICROSOFT AND ALL HIS ASSOCIATES FOR ALLEVIATING POVERTY ROUND THE WORLD.SINCERELY,Dr. (Mrs) LONNI BOER(Co-ordinator)LOTTERY SPONSORS: CHIEF SPONSORS;MICROSOFT CORPORATION UK, MICROSOFT CORPORATION AFRICA ,MICROSOFT CORPORATION USA, MICROSOFT CORPORATION ASIA.PAST WINNERS
Sucker-punch spam with award-winning protection.
Try the free Yahoo! Mail Beta.
Names of Scam / Fake / Fraud Lottery
Click here for the huge list of the names of the currently identified lottery scams companies
And please let us know about any suspicious calls or emails you receive. We look for patterns so that we can alert the authorities and victims to new scams, before it is too late!
For a comprehensive list of national and international agencies to report scams, see this page.