The email message below, which claims that Marie Holmes, the 26-year-old single mother from Shallotte, North Carolina who won the $188 million Powerball Jackpot, is donating thousands of dollars to randomly selected people around the world, is a lottery scam. The Powerball Jackpot or lottery winner is not randomly donating money to people around the world and did not sent the email message below. The fake email message was instead sent by scammers. The scammers/cyber-criminals are who are sending out the fake email messages, and who are pretending to be Marie Holmes, are attempting to trick the recipients into sending them their personal information.
Once they (scammers) have received their potential victims’ personal information, they will use the information to trick the potential victims into sending money, which they will claim is for some advance fees, which will cover banking and transfer costs, insurance payments or tax that the potential victims need to pay before they can receive the donated money.
But, if the victims send their money, the scammers will steal it and may continue to trick the victims into sending more money, with the promise of receiving the donated money the scammers claim they would receive. Recipients of the Marie Holmes lottery email scam are asked not to respond to or follow the instructions in it. They should just delete the email message instead.
It is important to remember that when someone contacts you, claiming that you have won the lottery or you are the recipient of millions of dollars, and asks you to send money in order to receive your lottery winnings or prizes, it is a SCAM. Legitimate lottery companies will never ask their winners to send money in order to receive their prizes or winnings. And, why would lottery winners who are allegedly donating millions of dollars to you, want you to send a few hundred or thousand dollars for banking and transfer costs, insurance payments or tax? Well, the money that the scammers want the victims to send, which the scammers claim is for taxes, bank transfer cost, insurance or other expenses, is what the scammers will steal. And, the victims on the other hand, will never receive the winnings, prizes or money that they were promised.
So, once you are asked to send money in order to receive money, it is a scam.
The Marie Holmes Powerball or Lottery Donation Scam
From: "Marie Holmes" <holmesmarie945@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: Donor
Let me start by introducing myself properly. I am Mrs Marie Holmes from Shallotte, North Carolina, 26 years old. am a single mother.the link bellow will tell you a little more about me. I have been so indecisive about giving out this donation I just decided to do now. I gladly appreciate your response to the email sent to you by my personal assistant. After thoughtful reasoning I have decided to make voluntary donation of $950,000 USD to randomly selected persons from anywhere in the world. not minding if I know them or not.And you and your family happened to be one of the selected individuals.
I really did not expect a response from you especially due to the rapid scam on the internet and news of people losing their money and homes to fraudsters over the internet with false promises and letters of lottery winnings. I am aware of all these evil deeds in the society in this present age, But considering my present status, I cannot personally go around traveling hours/days to your country and the homes of other two beneficiaries like yourself who are also beneficiaries of my donation, for that reason alone that's why I'm contacting you via email personally to avoid any sort of misconduct.
Considering how evil and selfish people are these days. I don't trust handing over this transaction to anyone at this earliest stage except my pay-out bank, that you will be contacting later on, only after I am satisfied that you can be trusted. My payout bank which is a well trusted bank around the world is the bank i have given the responsibility to handle the transfer and disbursement of donated funds to my church, organizations associated with cerebral palsy, the neurological disorder that afflicts my 7-year-old son, Charity Homes,Communities, and wonderful beneficiaries like yourself.
Although we've just known each other for the first time through an email conversation but I believe our father in heaven as directed me to you. Since I wasn't able to contact you in a more formal and more realistic way I had to ensure that the media took a full video coverage of my Lotto Wins just to prove that my intentions are honest and only focused at making your life and that of your loved ones more comfortable same way I've made the life of my family and that of my loved one’s comfortable. I’m a very shy and modest woman, I don’t have much to say, but I have also provided you some Web links to view below for verification.
Please you can read more about me by viewing the links below;
My donation of $950,000 USD may not be much to you but I believe it will go a long way to improving your standard of life like my lotto Jackpot did to me, I would like you to fill the below details and return back to me and my entire household will be glad for you to visit us after my donation gets to you. Do this on time so you can contact my payout bank for further directives to receive my donated funds.
Name:
Address:
Age:
Sex:
Occupation:
Nationality:
Tel:
Country of Residence:
May the Good lord bless your heart to be a blessing to your family and your society as soon as my donation gets to you? Don’t blame me for keeping this donation low key, i just don’t want anyone to start hurting innocent people out there with my good name .am just trying to be very cautious.
God Bless You.
Marie Holmes