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Please be sure to read my Lottery Scams Home Page
NOTE: All external links on this page open a new window.
Things I Did, Below
I, personally, receive email in HTML format. The following was received (and looked) like I received it.
- I removed my email addresses. These came to various accounts and some no longer exist. There are places on this site you can get hold of me if you wish or need to. They are protected from spambots using JavaScript, but all you have to do is click on them.
- All scammer and related email addresses, and any actual website links have been changed, at least putting spaces into them. They appear as underlined blue links, though they aren't.
- Any notes I added in the actual letter are in square brackets ("[" "]"), are bold, red in color, and highlighted. If what I found "behind the links" (email or website) are different than what was displayed, I will include them in this type of note.
- All spelling, spacing, line-wrapping, and punctuation errors are the ones that appeared in the original received email. (I may or may not analyze some or all of these.)
Scam Example
Received 02/01/2008
From:
Power Ball Lottery Promotion
[<== link behind words:
To: undisclosed-recipients:
Sent: Friday, February 01, 2008 10:40 PM
Power Ball Lottery
UNITED KINGDOM
Ref: UKLOSL/941OYI/67
Batch: 19/47/1067
We happily announce to you the draw (#1067) of the Power Ball Lottery,
online Sweepstakes International Program held on 30nd of jan 2008.
Your
e-mail address attached to ticket number: 56475600545 189 with Serial
number 5368/52 drew the Lucky mbers:01-14-21-30-35-48(bonus no.24),
Which
subsequently won you the lottery in the 2nd Category i.e. match 5
plusbonus. You have therefore been approved to Claim a total sum of
£600,000.00 (Six Hundred Thousand pounds sterling) in cash credited to
file KTU/9023118308/03.This is from a total cash prize of
£3000000,000.00
shared amongst the (5) lucky winners in this category i.e.Match 5 plus
bonus.
All participants for the online version were selected Randomly from
World Wide
Web sites through computer
Draw system and extracted from over 100,000 unions, associations, and
Corporate bodies that are listed online. This promotion takes place
Weekly. In
view of this, your
£600.000.00 (Six Hundred Thousand pounds sterling) will be released to
you by our payment office here in London, United Kingdom. Our European
agent will immediately commence the process to facilitate the release
of
your funds as soon as you contact him.
SEND YOUR INFORMATION TO YOUR
CONTACT PERSON: Mr. Adams Walters.
Email:
Telephone: +4470111-40284
With the following details:
FULL NAMES:
ADDRESS:
SEX:
DATE OF BIRTH:
MARITAL STATUS:
NATIONALITY:
RELIGION:
OCCUPATION:
NAME AND ADDRESS OF NEXT OF KIN:
PHONE NUMBER (MOBILE and HOME):
FAX NUMBER:
AMOUNT WON:
DRAW NUMBER:
COUNTRY RESIDENT:
Yours Truly,
Mr.Scott Parker.
Online Coordinator for the PowerBall.
[NOTE: I left names, email addresses, and phone numbers in here for the search engines to find. DO NOT TRY TO CONTACT THEM! I'm SURE you will be ripped off! -LE]
Scam Example
Received 02/02/2008 07:24PM (#1 and #2)
[All codes and numbers were exactly the same, and there were only slight differences in the email headers]
From: Power Ball Lottery
[<== link behind words
To: undisclosed-recipients:
Sent: Saturday, February 02, 2008 7:24 PM
Power Ball Lottery
UNITED KINGDOM
Ref: UKLOSL/941OYI/67
Batch: 19/47/1067
We happily announce to you the draw (#1067) of the Power Ball Lottery,
online Sweepstakes International Program held on 1 of Febuary 2008.
Your e-mail address attached to ticket number: 56475600545 189 with Serial
number 5368/52 drew the Lucky numbers:01-14-21-30-35-48(bonus no.24),
Which subsequently won you the lottery in the 2nd Category i.e. match 5
plusbonus. You have therefore been approved to Claim a total sum of
£600,000.00 (Six Hundred Thousand pounds sterling) in cash credited to
file KTU/9023118308/03.This is from a total cash prize of
£3000000,000.00 shared amongst the (5) lucky winners in this category i.e.Match
5 plus bonus. All participants for the online version were selected Randomly
from World Wide Web sites through computer Draw system and extracted from over
100,000 unions, associations, and Corporate bodies that are listed online. This
promotion takes place Weekly. In view of this, your £600.000.00 (Six Hundred
Thousand pounds sterling) will be released to you by our payment office here in
London, United Kingdom. Our European agent will immediately commence the
process to facilitate the release
of your funds as soon as you contact him.
SEND YOUR INFORMATION TO YOUR
CONTACT PERSON: Mr. Adams Walters.
Email:claimsagent_poweballlottery2008@yahoo.com.hk
Telephone: +4470111-40284
With the following details:
FULL NAMES:
ADDRESS:
SEX:
DATE OF BIRTH:
MARITAL STATUS:
NATIONALITY:
RELIGION:
OCCUPATION:
NAME AND ADDRESS OF NEXT OF KIN:
PHONE NUMBER (MOBILE and HOME):
FAX NUMBER:
AMOUNT WON:
DRAW NUMBER:
COUNTRY RESIDENT:
Yours Truly,
Mr.Scott Parker.
Online Coordinator for the PowerBall.
[NOTE: I left names, email addresses, and phone numbers in here for the search engines to find. DO NOT TRY TO CONTACT THEM! I'm SURE you will be ripped off! -LE]
Email Headers
(for email received 02/01/2007]
[DO NOT send email to any of the following email addresses]
X-Message-Delivery:
Vj0zLjQuMDt1cz0wO2k9MDtsPTA7YT0w
X-Message-Status: n:0
X-SID-PRA: Power Ball Lottery Promotion
<
X-Message-Info: DkpufaDli9IRIGjYwuXk3XGUpZa6
[space added]
jFgod0HlQt7DeNNr0va5X4z8NZ/+pi/qCsEUAKURifak
[space added] M323952MHdaloGe7hfASMjNG
Received: from hosted04.westnet.com.au ([203.10.1.217])
by bay0-mc11-f5.bay0.hotmail.com with Microsoft
SMTPSVC(6.0.3790.2668);
Fri, 1 Feb 2008 19:40:56 -0800
Received: from hosted04.westnet.com.au
(hosted04.westnet.com.au [127.0.0.1])
by hosted04.westnet.com.au (Postfix) with SMTP id
59F8C21C704;
Sat, 2 Feb 2008 12:40:22 +0900 (WST)
Received: from westnet.com.au (unknown [192.168.28.30])
by hosted04.westnet.com.au (Postfix) with SMTP id
2071521C60A;
Sat, 2 Feb 2008 12:40:17 +0900 (WST)
Message-ID: <
X-Priority: 3
Reply-To:
From: "Power Ball Lottery Promotion" <
Subject:
Date: Sat, 2 Feb 2008 12:40:18 +0900
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
To: undisclosed-recipients:;
X-PMX-Branch: TNG-Outgoing
Return-Path:
X-OriginalArrivalTime: 02 Feb 2008 03:40:58.0804 (UTC)
FILETIME=[6C8BAF40:01C8654D]
Email Headers
(for email #1 received 02/02/2008 @ 07:24PM)
[DO NOT send email to any of the following email addresses]
X-Message-Delivery:
Vj0zLjQuMDt1cz0wO2k9MDtsPTA7YT0w
X-Message-Status: n:0
X-SID-PRA: Power Ball Lottery
<
X-Message-Info: kPrGfBsMY+7EPfi1RyqzQ+1p5P7picV
[space added]
53yi1DtRbzqxnDtlo55EAQ8z7wGs3cKy4RdZ0zbhfxqkn25
[space added] RRlHu0VMUi2hjI8KJW
Received: from fitch4.uni2.net ([130.227.52.124]) by
bay0-mc11-f13.bay0.hotmail.com with Microsoft
SMTPSVC(6.0.3790.2668);
Sat, 2 Feb 2008 16:24:09 -0800
Received: from localhost (prokhorov1.uni2.net
[129.142.218.2])
by fitch4.uni2.net (Postfix) with ESMTP id 7B5FFBD6EE4;
Sun, 3 Feb 2008 01:24:08 +0100 (CET)
Received: from 213.185.118.210 ( [213.185.118.210])
as user
Sun, 3 Feb 2008 01:24:08 +0100
Message-ID: <
Date: Sun, 3 Feb 2008 01:24:08 +0100
From: Power Ball Lottery <
Reply-to:
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit
User-Agent: Internet Messaging Program (IMP) 3.1
X-Originating-IP: 213.185.118.210
To: undisclosed-recipients:;
Return-Path:
X-OriginalArrivalTime: 03 Feb 2008 00:24:09.0949 (UTC)
FILETIME=[185528D0:01C865FB]
Email Headers
(for email #2 received 02/02/2008 @
07:24PM)
[DO NOT send email to any of the following email addresses]
X-Message-Delivery:
Vj0zLjQuMDt1cz0wO2k9MDtsPTA7YT0w
X-Message-Status: n:0
X-SID-PRA: Power Ball Lottery
<
X-Message-Info: kPrGfBsMY+7EPfi1RyqzQ+MfKscbeRt/
[space added]
JRHTjpKZRfHrkX92WUppiannaJWrxZ+5hWKCZqNmDFFnm+ce
[space added]
BHPFxNDDDcniqY+d
Received: from fitch4.uni2.net ([130.227.52.124]) by
bay0-mc1-f22.bay0.hotmail.com with Microsoft
SMTPSVC(6.0.3790.2668);
Sat, 2 Feb 2008 16:24:12 -0800
Received: from localhost (prokhorov1.uni2.net
[129.142.218.2])
by fitch4.uni2.net (Postfix) with ESMTP id 58067BD6EE1;
Sun, 3 Feb 2008 01:24:11 +0100 (CET)
Received: from 213.185.118.210 ( [213.185.118.210])
as user
Sun, 3 Feb 2008 01:24:10 +0100
Message-ID: <
Date: Sun, 3 Feb 2008 01:24:10 +0100
From: Power Ball Lottery <
Reply-to:
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit
User-Agent: Internet Messaging Program (IMP) 3.1
X-Originating-IP: 213.185.118.210
To: undisclosed-recipients:;
Return-Path:
X-OriginalArrivalTime: 03 Feb 2008 00:24:13.0252 (UTC)
FILETIME=[1A4D2840:01C865FB]
Notes
NOTE: Both emails contained the same content.
Problems I see:
- The general sloppiness (spelling and spacing, especially)
- ANY time I receive an unsolicited lottery email (one I never entered or one from overseas), it raises a red flag for me.
- While PowerBallLotto.com (from whence the email was sent) is a real website, it doesn't appear to have anything to do with a lottery - It's a casino "portal" of sorts.
- The email addresses don't match, don't appear right,
and/or are free email accounts.
- Why is the address FROM which the email was sent RESULTS@powerballlotto.com"? And why would the email I'm to send my info to a free Yahoo account from Hong Kong?) It shouldn't be. This is something else to watch for... All email addresses should (probably) have the same domain (the part to the right of the "@"), should NOT be a free account, and should (probably) be similar to the name of the people sending you the email.
- Why would ANYONE from a UK Lottery of any type send an email to me and ask me to contact someone with a Hong Kong email address? They shouldn't.
- Why would the UK Government deposit money in a Nigerian Bank for an American winner? They wouldn't. An electronic transfer would be used.
- Note that MY email address is not in the "To:" part of the email address - it says "undisclosed-recipients". Why is that a PLURAL? Didn't I win? And even if it were to be sent to five people, why would they send exactly the same email to all? Wouldn't their numbers be different? (at least the file numbers and codes?)
- If I didn't enter (in any way), then the only way they
would have gotten this email address is to
- TROLL for it (the word I use for Spammers and others who use "spam-bots" and their like to ... "troll" the web for email addresses);
- One of the VERY FEW businesses or FRIENDS that have this as one of my email addresses must have SOLD it to them (according to their privacy policies, they would never/shouldn't have done so);
- They bought a mailing list from a TROLLER, SPAMMER or HACKER or someone else who gathers email addresses, and put... everyone(?) on it?
Why would a trust someone who attaches emails from the world, received in such a fashion to a lottery ticket?
- I didn't see that many blatent English language errors in this one, as I do in so many other scam emails, but (again, relating to sloppiness), the many word and line-spacing problems. (And again, in a business letter related to hundreds of thousands of dollars, AND supposedly from the UK, who pride themselves on their command of the English language, why so many of this type of error?)
As you can see, a little analysis (and healthy skepticism) about the "something for nothing" (not even having to APPLY! WOW!) offered, can save me from:
- actually getting on someone's mailing list (least troublesome);
- beginning a process that will take weeks and cost me thousands of dollars - well, all they can get out my accounts;
just to end up with nothing, or worse, owing MY bank thousands of dollars, and possibly being prosecuted.
Send comments/questions about this page to Bill Sanders at:
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This site, all text and graphics (unless otherwise noted) on it
were designed, developed and published by Bill Sanders of Orange Frog Productions.
It and it's CSS was validated and complies with both the:
CSS and
HTML 4.01
validators from W3C.
NOTE: All CSS validates except the "New Window Buttons"
which include some invalid code (ie: hacks),
added PicoSearch Tables,
and warnings for using transparent backgrounds when color foregrounds defined.
Copyright © 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 by Bill Sanders / Full site last modified: October 21, 2006
Any reproduction, printing, or selling of this content is
prohibited without express written consent from William D.
Sanders.
