There is NO Google sweepstakes or lottery, therefore, recipients of email messages like the one below, which claim they are winners in the Google lottery or sweepstakes are asked to delete them. The fake Google lottery or sweepstakes email messages are being sent by lottery scammers to trick their potential victims into sending them personal information. Once the lottery scammers receive their potential victims' personal information, they will subsequently ask them to send money in order to receive their so-called lottery prize. The lottery scammers will claim the requested money is for taxes, processing fees, delivery fee or some other fee. But, once the lottery scammers have received the money, they will take it and disappear and the victims will not receive the lottery prize that they were promised.
Remember, Google is currently not taking part in or endorsing any lottery games, so if you have received emails claiming that you have won thousands of dollars in a lottery, sweepstakes, promotion or an award endorsed by Google, they are scams. Also, Google will never ask their users or anybody else to send their personal or financial information via email messages.
A Sample of a "Google Sweepstakes or Lottery Scam"
From: Google Sweepstakes <googlesweepstakes@yeah.net>
Sent: 16 July 2017 20:42
To: Rosemary Holt
Subject: Re
Google Security Department®
Belgrave House,
76 Buckingham Palace Road,
London SW1W 9TQ,
United Kingdom.
Dear Lucky Winner,
We wish to congratulate you on this note, for being one of our lucky winners selected this year. This promotion was set-up to encourage the active use of the Google search engine and the Google ancillary services. Hence we do believe with your winning prize, you will continue to be active and patronage this company. Google is now the world leading search engine worldwide and in an effort to make sure that it remains the most widely used search engine, an online e-mail balloting was carried out on the 6th of July, 2017, without your knowledge and was officially released recently.
We wish to formally announce to you that your email address was attached to a lump sum of £750,000.00 {Seven Hundred and Fifty Thousand Great British Pounds Sterling} only.
A winning Cheque will be issued in your name by the Google Promotion Award Team, and also a certificate of prize claims will be sent alongside your winning Cheque.
Your Award Winning Details.
Code Number: GUK/3554749405GK
Ticket No: GUK/1008272745GK
Winning Number: GUK/99334353734GK
Information required from you is part of our precautionary measure to avoid double claiming and unwarranted abuse of this program. To claim your won prize, please contact the Google Award claims Manager (Dr. Graham Hanson) neatly filling the payment release form below.
PAYMENT RELEASE FORM.
*First Name
*Last Name
*Residential Address
*Telephone/ Mobile
*Nationality/Country
*Age
*Sex
*Occupation/Position
*Amount Won
*Alternate Email
*Have you ever been an Online Winner?
**Comment.
You are advised to contact your Foreign Claims Manager with his private email details below to avoid unnecessary delay and complications:
GOOGLE AWARD CLAIMS MANAGER.
Dr. Graham Hanson
Google Security Department (United Kingdom)
E-mail: claimsdepartment.drgraham@googlemail.com
Tel: +44-70-319- 77233
Fax: +44 70 111 4700
For security reasons, you are advised to keep your winning information confidential till your claims have been processed and your money remitted to you. This is part of our precautionary measure to avoid double claiming and unwarranted abuse of this program. Please be warned.
Note: You can fill your payment release form by printing and manually filling or you can fill directly on mail, or provide the details on Microsoft Word.
Please do not reply if you are NOT the owner of this email address.
Congratulations from the Staff & Members of Google Board Commission
Yours Sincerely,
Dianne Harrington,
Regional Coordinator,
Google United Kingdom
©2017 Google Incorporation.