"Microsoft Edinburgh 2019 Product Award" Lottery Scams

If you have received fake emails like the one below, which claim that you are a winner in the "Microsoft Edinburgh 2019 Product Award," please do not follow the instructions in them. This is because the emails are lottery scams. There is no "Microsoft Edinburgh 2019 Product Award" and the fake emails are being sent by cyber-criminals or online scammers, and not by Yahoo! or Microsoft. Yahoo or Microsoft will never ask their users to send their personal information via an email message. And, sending your personal information to those cyber-criminals will only help them rip you off. Every month, thousands of these email messages are sent out by scammers to trick their potential victims into stealing their personal information and/or sending money.

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Microsoft Edinburgh 2019 Product Award Lottery Scams

For online users who have already been tricked by the fraudulent e-mail, please be careful next time. This is because the cyber-criminals/scammers will contact those online users, using the information they have submitted, in an attempt to scam them.

The "Microsoft Edinburgh 2019 Product Award" Lottery Scam

From: marketing@fotografiahd.com.br

MICROSOFT? CORPORATION BOARD

Customer Service

Edinburgh Regional Office

Waverley Gate

2-4 Waterloo Place

Edinburgh EH1 3EG

United Kingdom.

CONGRATULATION!!!

Reference to theMicrosoft Edinburgh 2019 Product Award held on Friday 14th June 2019 here in Edinburgh United Kingdom,were your E-mail address emerged among one of the winners in the 3rd Category, please find attached details of your award and respond soonest for the processing of your claims.

Derrick McCourt.

Regional Director,

Microsoft Edinburgh, Scotland & Wales Microsoft UK.

MICROSOFT CORPORATION Customer Service Edinburgh Regional Office Waverley Gate 2-4 Waterloo Place Edinburgh EH1 3EG United Kingdom.

RE: PRODUCT AWARD NOTIFICATION.

We are aware that this notification will come to you as a surprise but please find time to read it carefully as we congratulate you over your success on the following official publication of results from our ongoing Online Raffle Draws as Organized by Microsoft Corporation, foundation for software products and the consortium of software promotion companies i.e. The Intel Group, Toshiba, Dell Computers and other International Companies which was taggedMicrosoft Edinburgh 2019 Product Award. This programme is held every year around the world with this aim of encouraging this use of Microsoft Products and other software for computer Literacy worldwide.

We do believe that your emergence for the 3rd Category Prize award of (Z870,000.00) as drawn against your E-mail address from the result of our online e-mail beta draws held here in Edinburgh United Kingdom will help and promote your active patronage to Microsoft and FSP Products.

We wish to formally announce to you that you have successfully passed the requirements, satisfactory obligation, verification and satisfactory report test as conducted for all our online winners. A winning cheque of £870,000.00 (Eight Hundred And Seventy Thousand Great British Pounds Sterling Only)in your name and A Brand New 2019 Matte Black Surface Laptop (2) which was consequently staked to be won by the 3rd Category will be sent to you from Microsoft Edinburgh Regional Office here in the United Kingdom. We hereby advise you to establish an immediate contact Via E7 mail with the MS-FSP Europe Payment processing Unit of Microsoft Edinburgh United Kingdom with the following details to avoid unnecessary delay and complications in releasing your payment to you.

PAYMENT RELEASE FORM. (1). Residential Address: (2). Telephone/Fax Number: (3). Nationality/Country: (4). Full Name: (5). Age/Sex: (6). Occupation: (7). Comment on Your Best Microsoft Product:

Microsoft Edinburgh Regional Office. MS-FSP Europe Payment Administrator. Ms. Anjer Keith. E-mail: anjer.keith@ms-fsp-europe.com Fax: +44 84.5 874 2294.

TheMicrosoft Edinburgh 2019 Product Award is proudly sponsored by our Microsoft Incorporation and consortiums of software promotion companies including The Intel Group, Toshiba, Dell Computers and other International Companies.

NOTE: All personal information's provided above are 10096 secured and will be only used exclusively for the purpose of processing your claims only as we value the privacy rights of our winners

Thanks for your ding and once again congratulations from us !!! /os9

Derrick Mc Regional Directo dinburg,Scotland & Wales at Microsoft UK. h. © 2019 Microsoft Corporation.

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Comments, Questions, Answers, or Reviews

Comments (Total: 4)

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June 1, 2020 at 3:43 AM by
"Microsoft Edinburgh 2019 Product Award" Lottery Scams
an anonymous user from: Sofia, Sofia-Capital, Bulgaria

I also received this message and even printed it out. I came to Edinburgh on February 7, 2020, as a tourist. I went to this Microsoft address, it turned out to be on the fourth floor. I asked the clerk to tell me something about this letter, but she did not want to talk to me. After 5 minutes a manager came and threw me out of the building quite rudely. I'm not to blame for him behaving like that, I just went to ask because I assumed there might be a 1% chance it was true.

Delete

October 1, 2019 at 12:38 AM by
"Microsoft Edinburgh 2019 Product Award" Lottery Scams
an anonymous user from: Sofia, Sofia-Capital, Bulgaria

Received this scam:

"Microsoft UK

Regional Office

Waverley Gate

2-4 Waterloo Place

Edinburgh EH1 3EG

United Kingdom.

Dear ...

Congratulation to you as we bring to your notice the results of the Microsoft 2019 Product Award Draws held on Friday 27th September 2019. We are happy to inform you that you have emerged a winner in the third Category of our promotional draws. Participants were selected through a computer ballot system drawn from our email database of all Microsoft Product Users worldwide as part of our annual Product Award in appreciation for your patronage on Microsoft Products.

Yours Faithfully.

Cindy Helen Rose

CEO

Microsoft UK"

Delete

September 19, 2019 at 2:14 PM by
"Microsoft Edinburgh 2019 Product Award" Lottery Scams
an anonymous user from: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

I have just received a similar letter and suspected it was a scam. I therefore decided to double check, only to find that it's indeed a scam. We need to be extremely careful about such scams.

Delete

September 18, 2019 at 4:56 PM by
"Microsoft Edinburgh 2019 Product Award" Lottery Scams
info

Here is another scam:

"Van: MICROSOFT CORPORATION <hrd_cji@cj.co.id>

Datum: 18 september 2019 om 21:53:19 CEST

Onderwerp: Antw.:⁨13-09-2019 RESULTS.⁩

Antwoord aan: <anjer.keith@ms-fsp-europe.com>

Microsoft UK

Regional Office

Waverley Gate

2-4 Waterloo Place

Edinburgh EH1 3EG

United Kingdom.

Dear

Congratulation to you as we bring to your notice the results of the Microsoft 2019 Product Award Draws held on Friday 13th September 2019. We are happy to inform you that you have emerged a winner in the third Category of our promotional draws. Participants were selected through a computer ballot system drawn from our email database of all Microsoft Product Users worldwide as part of our annual Product Award in appreciation to your patronage on Microsoft Products.

Yours Faithfully.

Cindy Helen Rose

CEO

Microsoft UK"

Delete

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Online Threat Alerts Security Tips

Pay the safest way

Credit cards are the safest way to pay for online purchases because you can dispute the charges if you never get the goods or services or if the offer was misrepresented. Federal law limits your liability to $50 if someone makes unauthorized charges to your account, and most credit card issuers will remove them completely if you report the problem promptly.

Guard your personal information

In any transaction you conduct, make sure to check with your state or local consumer protection agency and the Better Business Bureau (BBB) to see if the seller, charity, company, or organization is credible. Be especially wary if the entity is unfamiliar to you. Always call the number found on a website’s contact information to make sure the number legitimately belongs to the entity you are dealing with.

Be careful of the information you share

Never give out your codes, passwords or personal information, unless you are sure of who you're dealing with

Know who you’re dealing with

Crooks pretending to be from companies you do business with may call or send an email, claiming they need to verify your personal information. Don’t provide your credit card or bank account number unless you are actually paying for something and know who you are sending payment to. Your social security number should not be necessary unless you are applying for credit. Be especially suspicious if someone claiming to be from a company with whom you have an account asks for information that the business already has.

Check your accounts

Regularly check your account transactions and report any suspicious or unauthorised transactions.

Don’t believe promises of easy money

If someone claims that you can earn money with little or no work, get a loan or credit card even if you have bad credit, or make money on an investment with little or no risk, it’s probably a scam. Oftentimes, offers that seem too good to be true, actually are too good to be true.

Do not open email from people you don’t know

If you are unsure whether an email you received is legitimate, try contacting the sender directly via other means. Do not click on any links in an email unless you are sure it is safe.

Think before you click

If an email or text message looks suspicious, don’t open any attachments or click on the links.

Verify urgent requests or unsolicited emails, messages or phone calls before you respond

If you receive a message or a phone call asking for immediate action and don't know the sender, it could be a phishing message.

Be careful with links and new website addresses

Malicious website addresses may appear almost identical to legitimate sites. Scammers often use a slight variation in spelling or logo to lure you. Malicious links can also come from friends whose email has unknowingly been compromised, so be careful.

Secure your personal information

Before providing any personal information, such as your date of birth, Social Security number, account numbers, and passwords, be sure the website is secure.

Stay informed on the latest cyber threats

Keep yourself up to date on current scams by visiting this website daily.

Use Strong Passwords

Strong passwords are critical to online security.

Keep your software up to date and maintain preventative software programs

Keep all of your software applications up to date on your computers and mobile devices. Install software that provides antivirus, firewall, and email filter services.

Update the operating systems on your electronic devices

Make sure your operating systems (OSs) and applications are up to date on all of your electronic devices. Older and unpatched versions of OSs and software are the target of many hacks. Read the CISA security tip on Understanding Patches and Software Updates for more information.

What if You Got Scammed?

Stop Contact With The Scammer

Hang up the phone. Do not reply to emails, messages, or letters that the scammer sends. Do not make any more payments to the scammer. Beware of additional scammers who may contact you claiming they can help you get your lost money back.

Secure Your Finances

  • Report potentially compromised bank account, credit or debit card information to your financial institution(s) immediately. They may be able to cancel or reverse fraudulent transactions.
  • Notify the three major credit bureaus. They can add a fraud alert to warn potential credit grantors that you may be a victim of identity theft. You may also want to consider placing a free security freeze on your credit report. Doing so prevents lenders and others from accessing your credit report entirely, which will prevent them from extending credit:

Check Your Computer

If your computer was accessed or otherwise affected by a scam, check to make sure that your anti-virus is up-to-date and running and that your system is free of malware and keylogging software. You may also need to seek the help of a computer repair company. Consider utilizing the Better Business Bureau’s website to find a reputable company.

Change Your Account Passwords

Update your bank, credit card, social media, and email account passwords to try to limit further unauthorized access. Make sure to choose strong passwords when changing account passwords.

Report The Scam

Reporting helps protect others. While agencies can’t always track down perpetrators of crimes against scammers, they can utilize the information gathered to record patterns of abuse which may lead to action being taken against a company or industry.

Report your issue to the following agencies based on the nature of the scam:

  • Local Law Enforcement: Consumers are encouraged to report scams to their local police department or sheriff’s office, especially if you lost money or property or had your identity compromised.
  • Federal Trade Commission: Contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357) or use the Online Complaint Assistant to report various types of fraud, including counterfeit checks, lottery or sweepstakes scams, and more.
  • Identitytheft.gov: If someone is using your personal information, like your Social Security, credit card, or bank account number, to open new accounts, make purchases, or get a tax refund, report it at www.identitytheft.gov. This federal government site will also help you create your Identity Theft Report and a personal recovery plan based on your situation. Questions can be directed to 877-ID THEFT.

How To Recognize a Phishing Scam

Scammers use email or text messages to try to steal your passwords, account numbers, or Social Security numbers. If they get that information, they could get access to your email, bank, or other accounts. Or they could sell your information to other scammers. Scammers launch thousands of phishing attacks like these every day — and they’re often successful.

Scammers often update their tactics to keep up with the latest news or trends, but here are some common tactics used in phishing emails or text messages:

Phishing emails and text messages often tell a story to trick you into clicking on a link or opening an attachment. You might get an unexpected email or text message that looks like it’s from a company you know or trust, like a bank or a credit card or utility company. Or maybe it’s from an online payment website or app. The message could be from a scammer, who might

  • say they’ve noticed some suspicious activity or log-in attempts — they haven’t
  • claim there’s a problem with your account or your payment information — there isn’t
  • say you need to confirm some personal or financial information — you don’t
  • include an invoice you don’t recognize — it’s fake
  • want you to click on a link to make a payment — but the link has malware
  • say you’re eligible to register for a government refund — it’s a scam
  • offer a coupon for free stuff — it’s not real

About Online Threat Alerts (OTA)

Online Threat Alerts or OTA is an anti-cybercrime community that started in 2012. OTA alerts the public to cyber crimes and other web threats.

By alerting the public, we have prevented a lot of online users from getting scammed or becoming victims of cybercrimes.

With the ever-increasing number of people going online, it important to have a community like OTA that continuously alerts or protects those same people from cyber-criminals, scammers and hackers, who are every day finding new ways of carrying out their malicious activities.

Online users can help by reporting suspicious or malicious messages or websites to OTA. And, if they want to determine if a message or website is a threat or scam, they can use OTA's search engine to search for the website or parts of the message for information.

Help maintain Online Threat Alerts (OTA).

"Microsoft Edinburgh 2019 Product Award" Lottery Scams