Sample Lottery Scam Email:
Microsoft UK Lotto
If you fell for this scam,
please shoot yourself now
Below is yet another example of an truly ludicrous and unbelievably phony lottery, this one using the name "Microsoft UK Lotto". This is really one of the most pathetic scams attempts we've ever seen. If you fell for this scam, we suggest you lock yourself in the basement and have people slide food under the door. Don't ever go outside again. It is too dangerous for you. Really.
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.
From: "uk lotto" < uk_lott0_z29@hotmail.com > Add to Address Book Add Mobile Alert
Subject: CONGRATULATIONS
Date: Tue, 13 Feb 2007 13:29:14 +0200
MOTTO: FIGHTING POVERTY ROUND THE WORLD
FROM: THE DESK OF THE E-MAIL PROMOTIONS MANAGER INTERNATIONAL PROMOTIONS/PRIZE AWARD DEPARTMENT, MICROSOFT CORPORATION WORLD LOTTERY UNITED KINGDOM.61-70 Southampton Row, Bloomsbury London United Kingdom WC1B 4AR. TEL:+44-70-3181-8559
REFERENCE NO: MSW-L/200-26937
BATCH NO: 2007FEBTL#22
WINNER NO: 5
ELECTRONIC EMAIL AWARD WINNING NOTIFICATION AWARD PRESENTATION CENTER: UNITED KINGDOM
DEAR WINNER,
MICROSOFT CO-OPERATION MANAGEMENT WORLDWIDE ARE PLEASED TO INFORM YOU THAT YOU ARE A WINNER OF OUR ANNUAL MS-WORLD LOTTO LOTTERY CONDUCTED IN AFRICA BEING THE HOST OF THE EVENT FOR THIS PRESENT YEAR MEGA JACKPOT LOTTO WINNING PROGRAMS HELD ON 12TH, FEBRUARY 2007.
YOUR PERSONAL E-MAIL ADDRESS OR COMPANY EMAIL WAS ATTACHED TO JANUARY MSWLL. WITH SERIAL NUMBER S/N-00168 DREW THE LUCKY NUMBERS 887-13-865-37-10-83, AND CONSEQUENTLY WON IN THE FIRST LOTTERY CATEGORY. YOU HAVE THEREFORE BEEN APPROVED FOR LUMP SUMS OF $ 1,000,000 (USD ONE MILLION UNITED STATES DOLLARS) PAYABLE IN CASH CREDITED TO FILE REF NO: MSW-L/200-26937 THIS IS FROM TOTAL PRIZE MONEY OF $ 25,000,000 USD, SHARED AMONG THE TWENTY-FIVE (25) LUCKY INTERNATIONAL WINNERS IN FIRST AND SECOND CATEGORY.
ALL PARTICIPANTS WERE SELECTED FROM WORLDWIDE WEBSITES ESPECIALLY YAHOO EMAIL THROUGH OUR MICROSOFT COMPUTER BALLOT SYSTEM DRAWN FROM 21,000 NAMES, 3,000 NAMES FROM EACH CONTINENT (CANADA, ASIA, AUSTRALIA, UNITED STATE, EUROPE, MIDDLE EAST, AFRICA AND OCEANIA, AS PART OF INTERNATIONAL "E-MAIL" PROMOTIONS PROGRAM, WHICH IS CONDUCTED ANNUALLY FOR OUR PROMINENT MS -WORD USERS ALL OVER THE WORLD, AND TO ENCOURAGE THE USE OF INTERNET AND COMPUTERS WORLDWIDE.
YOUR FUND (CERTIFIED CHEQUE) HAS BEEN INSURED WITH YOUR REF NO: MSW-L/200-26937 AND WILL BE READY FOR DELIVERY. IT WILL BE DELIVERED TO YOU BY ONE OF OUR CLAIM AGENT IN AFRICA (MR.SEASON RICHARDS ). YOUR E-MAIL ADDRESS SHOULD BE USED IN ALL CORRESPONDENCE WITH YOUR CLAIMS OFFICER, PLEASE NOTE THAT, YOU ARE TO CONTACT YOUR CLAIMS OFFICER VIan email 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 THAT IS ALL, AS HE WILL PROVIDE YOU WITH THE NECESSARY DETAILS ON HOW TO CLAIM YOUR PRIZE AFTER THE SUBMISION OF THE BELOW FORM.
AS PART OF OUR SECURITY PROTOCOL YOU ARE TO QUOTE THIS SECURITY CODE MSW/FEB/XX07 TO YOUR CLAIMING AGENT. THIS IS TO PREVENT SCAM .
CONTACT YOUR CLAIMS AGENT OFFICER IN SOUTH AFRICA (FILL THE BELOW FORM WITH YOUR WINNING INFORMATION).
NAME: MR.SEASON RICHARDS
EMAIL: lotteryagent2773@yahoo.com
REMEMBER, 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 AND BATCH NUMBERS AND YOUR SECURITY CODE OF MSW/FEB/XX07 IN ALL CORRESPONDENCES WITH YOUR CLAIMS OFFICER. DO NOT REPLY ANY OTHER MAILS LIKE THIS ON NET, AS THEY ARE A LOT OF SCAM ARTIST OUT THERE PRETENDING TO BE US.YOU MAY SEE MAILS LIKE THIS DO NOT REPLY. DO CONTACT YOUR CLAIMS OFFICER MR.SEASON RICHARDS IN SOUTH AFRICA . AT ONCE YOU WILL BE ASKED TO PROVIDE SOME DETAILS TO ENABLE THE OFFICE PROCEED WITH YOUR WINNING CERTIFICATE AND FILE KEEPING.
CONGRATULATIONS, ONCE MORE FROM THE ENTIRE MANAGEMENT AND STAFF OF MICROSOFT CO-OPERATION TO ALL OUR LUCKY WINNERS THIS YEAR. THANK YOU FOR BEING PART OF THIS PROMOTIONAL LOTTERY PROGRAM. OUR SPECIAL THANKS AND GRATITUDE TO BILL GATES OF MICROSOFT AND ALL HIS ASSOCIATES FOR ALLEVIATING POVERTY ROUND THE WORLD.
SINCERELY,
Mrs. Basheera Abubakar Mrs. Caro Smith
(Co-coordinator). (Secretary)
LOTTERY SPONSORS: CHIEF SPONSORS;
MICROSOFT CORPORATION UK, MICROSOFT CORPORATION AFRICA,
MICROSOFT CORPORATION USA, MICROSOFT CORPORATION ASIA.
Past winners.
To process your claims you are hereby advice to fill this form and return it to our claming officer in South Africa with this email ( lotteryagent2773@yahoo.com ) for the final processing of your file.
ELECTRONIC MICROSOFT EMAIL AWARD FORM.
NAME........................................................................
ADDRESS:.................................................................
NATIONALITY:............................................................
SEX:..........................................................................
AGE:..........................................................................
PHONE/MOBILE:........................................................
FAX:..........................................................................
OCCUPATION:............................................................
COMPANY:.................................................................
SECURITY CODE................................................................
WINNING NO:.............................................................
You have to taravel to South Africa in order to sign the whole necessary documents and claim your fund.
In this case, please do contact our claim officer with this form on the above email address. Congratulations!!
Dr. Brendan Richson
Names of Scam / Fake / Fraud Lottery
Click here for the huge list of the names of the currently identified lottery scams companies
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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.