Fake Coca-Cola E-mails Announcing Centenary Promo Prizes Hit Internauts

Security experts are warning of scam e-mails posing as messages sent from Coca-Cola the soft drink major that make the happy announcement to recipients about them chosen to be winner during a yearly promotion the company launched, reported softpedia.com dated January 22, 2015.

Recipients are further told that a random selection of their e-mail id was done, to decide them as winner, with the aid of e-newsletter software from Coca-Cola that freelance technical specialists, legally registered in USA, operated.

The message then directs the winner recipients to provide their contact details alongside name and age via answering the e-mail.

However, the e-mail isn't any communication from Coca-Cola while no prize awaits the so-called winners.

It's characteristically an "advance-fee scam." In case the e-mail is answered with all the information as asked, the user will have little time before he is asked for transferring different kinds of fees supposedly for covering expenses like taxation, insurance, legal and banking.

In addition, there will be further emphasis that the asked payment should get deposited in advance as also that it can't be adjusted from the award money. In case thereafter the money is sent there'll possibly be still further demand of fictitious fees.

This kind of payment requests may go on till the victim exhausts all his funds else realizes he is getting defrauded, remark security analysts after examining the e-mail scam.

The scam e-mail in discussion, nevertheless, shows indications of fraud, like the "Dear Consumer" is used to address the recipient and also the absence of media exposure to an award prize that's so huge; everything appears dubious.

There is another indication of the message's fraudulent character that's in the anniversary number which's written 128th inside one paragraph and 125th inside another.

Moreover, a question arises i.e. what number of legitimate messages the recipients are getting from Coca-Cola during one annum period, as also how is it possible that the company gives away the kind of prize devoid of receiving something in exchange, security analysts contend.

Therefore, anybody getting such an unsolicited electronic mail must at best remove it from his mailbox, the experts recommend.

» SPAMfighter News - 2/5/2015