Facebook Lottery scam emails making rounds

Offline crooks have had a lot of success with the bogus lottery winning letter scam, so it should come as no surprise it is often “translated” into an email and spammed out to unsuspecting targets.

The latest version of this online scam aims to trick users into thinking that they have won a prize through a bogus “Facebook Lottery”. Supposedly, the verification process was successfully executed and the only thing the user must do is claim the prize at the Facebook Lottery’s London office.

But, not everyone lives in London, so the scammers offer a solution:

we can have your Facebook Claim Paper Work sent to you via our contracted Courier Service for signing and then send back to us to effect immediate release of your Winning. But note that you are to bear courier charges of this option which attracts the sum of £385 British Pound, only to be paid if you decide to settle for the Facebook Claim Paper Work to be sent to you via our contracted Courier Service. Please note that the £385 British Pound courier charges includes insurance and tax fees, as the paper work in question is highly confidential and needs to be insured for safety measures.

To add to the sense of urgency, the email says that the winnings must be claimed before October 25 (today) – although, if the spam run continues for a few days, the date will probably be changed.

And just in case you have any doubts about the legitimacy of the email, the scammers offer a phone number that you can call to check the claims. But even though the number seems to be that of a UK phone, the call can be redirected anywhere in the world.

“If you do call that number, chances are that you will be asked to share personal information and perhaps even conned into paying a fee in advance for the paperwork to be couriered to you,” points out Sophos. “In short, it’s a scam. You never entered a Facebook lottery – so why do you think you’ve won one?”