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Sample Promotion Winning Scam Email: MICROSOFT WINNING NOTIFICATION

Sample Promotion Prize Scam Email:
MICROSOFT WINNING NOTIFICATION
"MR HERLEY PETTERSON, EURO AFRO-ASIAN ZONAL CO-ORDINATOR", "DR JOHANS VIDIC"

Have you received an email from "MR HERLEY PETTERSON, EURO AFRO-ASIAN ZONAL CO-ORDINATOR" at "MICROSOFT WINNING NOTIFICATION" saying you won their promotion or lottery promo and to contact "DR JOHANS VIDIC" to collect your winnings? We don't mean to be insulting, but if you believe that Microsoft along with the Sultan of Brunei, give away money to "encourage the use of internet and computers world wide", and they would have you reply to a free email account of a competitor to Microsoft (Yahoo), then we must assume that your mother enrolled you heavyweight wrestling tournaments while you were a baby.  Nothing else could explain such massive brain damage.

It is a scam. And don't get too excited if the names are different; the scammers make many versions of this scam!

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.

Although the most important clue is that no legitimate lottery, and almost no legitimate sweepstakes or promotions will 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.

• 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?

• Keep Confidential - Real promotions THRIVE on publicity: that's the purpose of them! They don't want you to keep anything secret - the publicity causes people to buy their product. There is NO risk of "double claiming" because they can validate where the ticket numbers were sold. 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!"

• 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 or a lottery, then this must be the world's worst promotion, because no one has heard of it, outside of the email you just received. Just giving away money to random people who have an email address wouldn't promote a darn thing! It is a scam! 

• 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:

• Master list of sample promotions scam emails

• How to recognize a promotions scam

• What to do if you think you have been the victim of a scam

• How the lottery / sweepstakes / promotion scams work, step by step

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Sample scam email

From: MICROSOFT XP WINDOW < eaasl_p_018@hotmail.co.uk >
Subject: MICROSOFT WINNING NOTIFICATION.
Date: Sat, 31 Mar 2007 04:45:53 +0100

 

 

 

FROM: MR HERLEY PETTERSON.

E.A.A.S Lottery Headquarters:
Customer Service
580 N. Tenth Street Sacramento,
Euro - Afro Asian Sweepstake Lottery

London United Kingdom.
 

 

 MICROSOFT WINNING NOTIFICATION.

We happily announce to you the draw of the Euro - Afro Asian Sweepstake Lottery International programs held on Monday 12 March 2007 in LONDON ENGLAND.Your e-mail address attached to ticket number: EAASL-130876   which subsequently won you the lottery in the 3rd category.You have therefore been approved to claim a total sum of £150.000.00 (One Hundred and Fifty Thousand pounds sterling)

 

This is from a total cash prize of £1,500,000 ,shared amongst the first ten(10) lucky winners in this category.Please note that your lucky winning number falls within our europe booklet representative in LONDON ,ENGLAND as indicated in your play coupon.

 

In view of this, your £150.000.00(One Hundred and Fifty Thousand pounds sterling) cheque would be released to you by our fudiciary agent in LONDON,ENGLAND. Our Fudiciary agent will immediately commence the process to facilitate the release of your check as soon as you contact him. All participants were selected randomly from World Wide Web sites and guestbooks through computer draw system and extracted from over 100,000 individuals and companies. This promotion takes place annually and it is sponsored by Sultan of Brunei Bill Gates of Microsoft and his associates to encourage the use of internet and computers world wide.

 

For security reasons, you are advised to keep your winning informations confidential till your claims is processed and your cheque delivered to your nominated address through an approved delivering officer appointed specially for this program. This is part of our precautionary measure to avoid double claiming and unwarranted abuse of this program by some unscrupulous elements. Please be warned  
 

To begin your claim please contact our licensed and accredited agent assigned to you

 

DR JOHANS VIDIC.
EURO AFRO-ASIAN LOTTERY
Information and Payment Bureau:
1290 London Representative Office.
Phone:+44-7011140638
Fax:+44-870-479-6623
E-mail:dr_johansvidic034@yahoo.co.uk

 

To avoid unnecessary delays and complications, you are to contact DR JOHANS VIDIC.with the followings details below:

 

VERIFICATION AND FUNDS RELEASE FORM

1.FULL NAMES:

2.ADDRESS:

3.SEX:

4.AGE:

5.MARITAL STATUS:

6.OCCUPATION:

7COMPANY NAME

8.E-MAIL ADDRESS:

9.TELEPHONE NUMBER:

10.STATE:
11.COUNTRY:

12 NEXT OF KIN:

13HOW DO YOU FEEL AS A WINNER:

14AMOUNT WON:
 

2.Quote your Ticket number in any correspondences with us or our designated agent.Winners under 18 years of age will be authomatically disqualified.
 

DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL, CONTACT YOUR FIDUCIARY AGENT DIRECTLY DR JOHANS VIDIC.E-mail:dr_johansvidic034@yahoo.co.uk

Sincerely,
FROM: MR HERLEY PETTERSON.
EURO AFRO-ASIAN ZONAL CO-ORDINATOR.

 

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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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