Google End Of Year Promotion

How the scam works:

We all use email every day. It has become a lifeline for many in fast communication. And Google is a household name; in fact, the phrase “Google it”, meaning to advise someone to research information on their own, was added to the Webster’s Dictionary of Phrases in 2011. But with these ubiquitous technologies comes scammers trying to take advantage of unsuspecting victims.

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In this recently discovered scam, people are receiving an email from crooks with the tagline “Google End Of Year Anniversary”. The body of the email goes on to explain that as a frequent Google user, you have just won a 2016 end of the year promotion prize. The prize is being given, supposedly, to encourage you to continue using Google as your preferred search engine. All that is required for you to claim your prize is to fill out some personal identifying information and send it back. And once you do, you will receive the grand prize of $450,000 pounds. Of course, all you receive for your trouble is the theft of your identity.

This is the content of the fake email:

"Google UK Ltd

Belgrave House 76 Buckingham Palace Road London SW1W 9TQ United Kingdom.

Website: http://www.google.org

GOOGLE 2017 HAPPY ANNIVERSARY PROMOTION

We wish to congratulate you once again on this note, for being part of our winners selected this year. This promotion was set-up to encourage the active users 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 to the Google search engine.

Google is now the biggest search engine worldwide and in an effort to make sure that it remains the most widely used search engine, we ran an online e-mail beta test which your email address won £450,000.00 {Four Hundred And Fifty Thousand Great British Pounds Sterling} We wish to formally announce to you that you have successfully passed the requirements, statutory obligations, verifications, validations and satisfactory report Test conducted for all online winners. A winning cheque will be issued in your name by Google Promotion Award Team, You have therefore won the entire sum of £450,000.00 {Four Hundred And Fifty Thousand Great British Pounds Sterling} and also a certificate of prize claims will be sent along side your winning cheque. Mr. Brain Hookson Foreign Transfer Manager Google Promotion Award Team Company Email: [email protected] [email protected]

You are advised to contact your Foreign Transfer Manager with the following details to avoid unnecessary delay and complications: VERIFICATION AND FUNDS RELEASE FORM. (1)Your Full Names (2)Your contact address. (3) Your Tel/Fax numbers. (4) Your Nationality/Country. (5) Occupation/Company. (6) Age/Gender. (7) Ever won an online lottery? (8) How you feel as a Google winner. (9) Your Preferred Method of Receiving Your Prize (From Below) Mode Of Prize Remittance. (1) Bank Transfer: (Bank Transfer of your official winning prize to your bank account) (2) Courier Delivery Of your Certified Winning Cheque/Bank Draft in your Name and other Winning Documents safely to you The Google Promotion Award Team has discovered a huge number of double claims due to winners informing close friends relatives and third parties about their winning and also sharing their pin numbers.

As a result of this, these friends try to claim the lottery on behalf of the real winners. The Google Promotion Award Team has reached a decision from headquarters that any double claim discovered by the Lottery Board will result to the canceling of that particular winning, making a loss for both the double claimer and the real winner, as it is taken that the real winner was the informer to the double claimer about the lottery. So you are hereby strongly advised once more to keep your winnings strictly confidential until you claim your prize. Congratulations from the Staffs & Members of the Google interactive Lotteries Board Commission.

Sincerely, Dr. Donald Lloyd. Google Promotion Award Team."

 

How to avoid the Google End of the Year scam:

While it has been said time and again, it bears repeating: you will never get something for nothing. Google has never given prizes to users as a thank you for using their search engine; given that they are the number one preferred search engine – and have been since their inception – they do not have to give prizes to users to encourage them to Google more things. By being aware of the “if it sounds too good to be true, it most likely is” school of thought, you will save yourself a lot of trouble.

 

How to report the Google End of the Year scam:

Make your family and friends aware of this scam by sharing it on social media using the buttons provided. You can also officially report the scammers to the Federal Trade Commission using the link below:

Report To The FTC Here

 

How to protect yourself more:

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