Scam Alert-You’re Not A Winner
I love winning sweepstakes. Especially ones I didn't enter. And ones that pay me One Million Pounds. And ones that happen in countries that I neither live in or have ever visited.
Below is an e-mail I received this morning from the good folks at "Coca Cola". (I drink Pepsi. Hey, I'm the new generation):
THE COCA COLA COMPANY PROMOTION/PRIZE AWARD
DEPT. COCA COLA AVENUE STAMFORD BRIDGE LONDON.
SW1V 3DW UNITED KINGDOM
ATTENTION: WINNER,
THE COCA COLA COMPANY OFFICIAL AWARD NOTIFICATION 2011
We are pleased to inform you on the result of just concluded YEAR 2011 draws held on the 1st June, 2011 by Coca-Cola in conjunction with the British American Tobacco Worldwide Promotion, your email was among the 20 Lucky winners who won One Million British Pounds (£1,000,000.00) each on the COCACOLA COMPANY LOTTO AWARD PROMOTION.
However the results were released on the (8th of June 2011) and your email attached to ticket number (2PYUK2010) and ballot number (UK: 51322010/110) were among the lucky winners. The online draws was conducted by a random selection of email addresses from an exclusive list of 29,031 E-mail addresses of individuals and corporate bodies picked by an advanced automated random computer search from the internet. However, no tickets were sold but all email addresses were assigned to different ticket numbers for representation and privacy. This Lottery is approved by the British Gambling Board and also Licensed by the International Association of Gambling Regulators (IAGR).This is the 3rd of its kind and we intend to sensitize the public.
This is in appreciation to our customers’ world wide for YOUR support in the concluded 2010 FIFA world cup in South Africa and to seek your support in the 2014 FIFA world cup in Brazil. In other to claim your £1,000,000.00 prize winning which has been deposited with our paying bank.
PAYMENT PRIZE AND CLAIM
Winners shall be paid in accordance with his/her Settlement Centre. Coca Cola Prize Award must be claimed no later than 30 days from the date of Draw Notification. Any Prize not claimed within this period will be forfeited.
You are requested to contact our fiduciary agent in London and send your winning details to him;
(CONTACT CLAIM AGENT)
NAME: MR. GARY DIBBS
E-mail: cokepromox@blumail.org Tel: +44 703 174 3597
You are advised to send the following information to your agent to facilitate the release of your winning fund to you.
(1) NAME:.....................................
(2) AGE:........................................
(3) SEX:....................................... .
(4) ADDRESS:...............................
(5) EMAIL:....................................
(6) PHONE:...................................
(7) OCCUPATION:.........................
(8) COMPANY…………………….
(8) STATE/CITY:......................................
(9)COUNTRY:................................
(10) NATIONALITY:...........................
(11)TICKET / BALLOT NUMBER:……….
(12)AMOUNT WON:……………………
Congratulations Once again!!.
Yours in service
Mrs. Linda Dominic.
WARNING!!
Do not tell people about your Prize Award until your money is successfully handed over to you to avoid disqualification that may arise from double claim. You may also receive similar e-mails from people portraying to be other Organizations or Coca-Cola Company. This is solely to collect your personal information from you and lay claim over your winning. In event that you receive any e-mail similar to this notification letter that was sent to you, kindly delete it from your mail box and give no further correspondence to such person or body. Coca-Cola shall not be held responsible for any loss of fund arising from the above mentioned.
I love the line:
Do not tell people about your Prize Award until your money is successfully handed over to you to avoid disqualification that may arise from double claim.
Yeah, that's not an obvious "this isn't real" disclaimer. Please, if you're gullible enough to fall for something like this, e-mail me. I have a bridge in Brooklyn I need to sell you.
Oh, and in case you're wondering, I went to the REAL Coca-Cola website to tell them about this scam, and it seems they're already aware. Here's what's posted on their website:
Email and Internet Scams
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| Rumor: Coca-Cola Jackpot, Coca-Cola Award, Cash Prize, Sweepstakes or Promotional Drawing Winner Notification, Coca-Cola Foundation Cash Aid The Coca-Cola Company has learned of several text messages, emails and letters being sent to people that falsely claim the recipient has either won a sweepstake or a cash prize from our Company. The text messages direct the recipients to a website that appears to be, but is not, an official site of The Coca-Cola Company. The official My Coke Rewards address is mycokerewards.com, and My Coke Rewards is a program offered only in the United States. Subject lines for the emails have ranged from "The Coca-Cola Award Notification" to "The Coca-Cola Promo Winning Notification" to "The Coca-Cola Worldwide Christmas Promo," "Notification for Coca-Cola Foundation Cash Aid," or other similar titles. Some versions of the email hoax indicate a joint promotion with the British American Tobacco Company, an annual mid-year Coca-Cola promotional draw (which includes the name of former Coca-Cola executive vice president, Carl Ware), or a car giveaway in Hong Kong. The emails also include formal language that makes them look "official," and are sometimes designed to look legitimate by including images or photographs, a "secret pin code" or reference/ticket number and contact information for a Coca-Cola representative. The letters are written to look official and may appear to come from a financial institution. They often contain a claim number and may even include a check that appears to be from our Company or another Coca-Cola bottler. View samples of email hoaxes we have identified. NOTE - This sample list does not include all Coca-Cola hoaxes in circulation. Other hoaxes may exist and may not be included here. |
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| Our Response: The Coca-Cola Company is in no way associated with these emails, text messages, letters, unauthorized websites or programs. We are not a sponsor and our name and trademarks are used here without permission. This appears to be a form of fraud known as "phishing," wherein perpetrators attempt to develop relationships with victims in order to obtain personal and financial information. Common signs that a message may be a part of an email scam or phishing campaign include:
Overall, if it looks too good to be true, it probably is. Do not reply to these text messages, emails or letters with any information. If you have already responded to this type of text message, email or letter, we recommend that you immediately discontinue all communications with the source and contact your local and/or federal authorities for advice on how to proceed to protect your personal information and privacy |
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