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Microsoft AOL Lottery Scam Email:
MICROSOFT LOTTERY - Microsoft Award Team
"Mrs.Lillian Diana", "Mr. Ben Johnson"
Did you receive an email from "Mrs.Lillian Diana" at "MICROSOFT LOTTERY - Microsoft Award Team" telling you that "Your e-mail address attached to ticket number" or something similar, won the MICROSOFT LOTTERY - Microsoft Award Team lottery and to contact "Mr. Ben Johnson" to collect your winnings? Were you even aware that AOL has a lottery, together with Microsoft? Have you heard of "MICROSOFT LOTTERY - Microsoft Award Team"? And that they give away huge amounts of money to people simply for having "an active online email account"? This is news to AOL and Microsoft; especially since they are direct competitors.
Neither AOL nor Microsoft have never had any lottery (and we're pretty sure they never will). They certainly would not do ANYTHING together. Neither Microsoft nor AOL "collects email addresses" or selects winners "using a database of email addresses", or "from websites worldwide", or from "our computer ballot system". Each of those activities would be illegal in many countries, under existing privacy laws. Not to mention, it simply makes no sense for AOL to simply give away money. Real lotteries take in much more money than they give away, through ticket sales? Businesses are not lotteries - customers don't buy or use their products or services on the hope that the company will run a lottery for its customers. And it's just plain dumb to believe that!
The scammers may change the names and details, but it is still a scam! Don't be an complete imbecile!
Below is the example of the fake email scam (the email is the scam, not any persons or companies named in the email) claiming to be from the "MICROSOFT LOTTERY - Microsoft Award Team".
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:
AOL does not have or sponsor any lottery.
Email address ballot: There is no such thing as a "computer ballot system" or "computer email draw". No one, not even AOL has a database of email addresses of the type or magnitude they suggest.
"No tickets were sold": You care to explain where the money comes from? Perhaps the lottery money fairy? Why would a lottery give away money to "email address randomly selected by a computer ballot draw system"? This is CLEARLY nonsense: you MUST, repeat MUST buy a ticket to have a chance of winning any lottery!
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 (AOL, Hotmail, Excite, AIM, Gmail, etc.) - often not even a AOL free account. Don't you think AOL would write from their own corporate address?
Keep Confidential - Real lotteries THRIVE on publicity - they don't want you to keep anything secret - the publicity causes people to buy more tickets. 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!"
Email notification: NO REAL LOTTERY SENDS AN EMAIL TO NOTIFY WINNERS. Period. Full-stop. End of story. There mere fact ALONE that you received an email saying you won a lottery is proof that it is a scam.
Here is a typical scam lottery winning notification.
CONGRATULATIONS !!! YOU HAVE WON THE MICROSOFT LOTTERY INSURRECTION TO READ THIS MESSAGE CLICK ON OPEN MESSAGE ABOVE OR REPLY TO Email
Microsoft Award Team
50 Craven Park, Harlesden London NW10 United Kingdom
Ref: UKNL-L/200-26937
Batch: 2005MJL-01
CONGRATULATION! CONGRATULATION!! CONGRATULATION!!!
ATTENTION LUCKY WINNER:
It is obvious that this notification will come to you as a surprise but please find time to read it carefully as we congratulate you over your success in the following official publication of results of the E-mail electronic online Sweepstakes organized by Microsoft and Alo in conjunction with the foundation for the promotion of software products,(F.P.S.)held on the 2008,in United kingdom.
The selection was made through a computer draw system attaching personalized email addresses to ticket numbers. If you ignore this, you will regret it later. Microsoft and AOL are now the largest Internet companies and in an effort to make sure that Internet Explorer remains the most widely used program, Microsoft and AOL are running an e-mail beta test.
Wherein your electronic email address emerged as one of the online winning emails in the 1st category and as one of the 5 jackpot winners in this draw. You have therefore won the entire winning sum of £1,500,000.00 (One Million Five Hundred Thousand Great Britain Pounds) Which your file falls in our United Kingdom Claim office in London City
We write to officially notify you of this award and to advise you to contact the processing office immediately upon receipt of this message for more information concerning the verification, processing and eventual payment of the above prize to you.
It is important to note that your award information was released with the following particulars attached to it.
(1) Award numbers: 14-21-25-39-40-47(20)
(2) Email ticket numbers: 20511465463-7644
(3) Batch numbers: 2005MJL-01
(4) The file reference numbers: UKNL-L/200-26937
{5} Serial Numbers: S/N-00168
FOR VERIFICATION PURPOSE BE SURE TO INCLUDE:
(1) Your Tel/Fax numbers;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
(2) Your Nationality/Country;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
(3) Date of Birth:............................................
(4) Address:.......................................................
(5.) Occupation:...............................................
(6.) Phone: .........................................................
(7.) Mobile: .......................................................
(8) Fax: ............................................................
{9}Your Full Names;;;;;;;;;;;
(10)Sex:.................................................................
(11) Award numbers: .........................................
(12) Email ticket numbers:......................................
(13) Batch numbers: ...................................................
(14) The file reference numbers: ......................................
{15} Serial
Numbers............................................................
(16) Your mailing address;;;;............;;;;;..
To file for your claim, Please contact your Validating Officer for VALIDATION of your winning within Twenty-nine working days of this winning notification. Winnings that are not validated within Twenty-nine working days of winning notification are termed void and invalid. You are required to mention the above particulars of your award in every correspondence to enable the Agent in London validate your winning
AGENT CONTACT: INFORMATION
*******************************************************************
NAME OF COURIER FIRM: GRAPHIC TRUST DELIVERY SERVICES OFFICE ADDRESS: 60 Great Ormond Street London,WC1N 3HR United- Kingdom.
Email: benjohnson128@yahoo.com
Tel: +44 703 194 8041
Contact Person: Call Mr. Ben Johnson
********************************************************************
The Microsoft Internet E-mail lottery Awards is sponsored by our CEO/Chairman, and a consortium of software promotion companies. The Intel Group, Bill Gates: Toshiba, Dell Computers and other International Companies. The Microsoft internet E-mail draw is held periodically and is organized to encourage the use of the Internet and promote computer literacy worldwide. In compliance with the sponsoring bodies, you are to make a remittance of a part of your won fund, not lower than 10-percent, after receiving your allocation to a charity organization
Once again on behalf of all our staff, we say congratulation and thanks for being part of our Promotions program.
Yours sincerely,
Mrs.Lillian Diana.
Microsoft Online Promotions.
Online Co-coordinator for Microsoft Award Team
N.B.This is a computer-generated message. Please do not reply to this mail since we will be unable to answer. Contact your Claims Manager by Email or Phone immediately.
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