E-victims.org: Microsoft lottery scam

Tony

What Consumer Founder
Apr 7, 2008
18,307
3
38
Bolton
The latest scam is the Microsoft lottery. There are several clues:

THERE IS NO MICROSOFT LOTTERY
poor English
Use a hotmail account
Use a UK 070 number that can be redirected to anywhere in the world
the ask for money to cover VAT - lottery winnings don't incur VAT or income tax.


If you respond to the first email, the criminals will ask you to fill out more information about yourself. This is so they can gather the information they need to perpetrate identity theft.

They will ask you to pay up front fees such tax and VAT charges (pound;310,000-pound;430,00 depending on delivery) before you can get your money - no doubt by wire transfer.

So, that is how the scams work first they get data for identity theft and then they get victims to pay administration, tax and VAT charges.

Here is the spam email for this scam
CONGRATULATIONS !!!!
YOU HAVE WON pound;1,500,000.00 POUNDS!
YOU HAVE BEEN ANNOUNCED AS ONE OF THE 12 TOP LUCKY WINNERS !!!

Microsoft/MSN Lottery gives members...

Microsoft lottery scam
 

TracyG

Moderator
Apr 26, 2009
296
1
0
I have recently been getting 3 or 4 scam emails a day. Some are lotteries, some state that I have inheritance left to me by a long lost relative, others offer me free training (in exchange for a few personal details).

I mark them as spam, but is there anything else I can or should be doing, such as somewhere/someone I should be reporting them to. They seem to originate from the States.