“Dear Winner,
On behalf of [Prestigious Fake Company], I wish to announce you are one of the 3 lucky winners in the lotto draw. You have been approved to win[$exorbitant amount of money] . Please send us your name, address, and telephone number and the winnings will be sent to you immediately.
Sincerely,
[Some President from some company in Africa]”
How many times have you seen an email come across like this? So many people have forwarded me emails asking, “Is this true? Should I send my info? I finally won something!” Sadly, I have to be the bringer of bad news and tell them that no it is probably not true. Especially when you are getting the email from a foreign land!
As a rule of thumb, if you are being asked to reply to an email and you don’t know who they are, do not reply. Hit the delete button. If you really win a contest, Ed McMahon will show up at your door or the prize will be in the mail without you having to do anything!
On a side note, I really don’t mind getting these emails. It reminds me that all of us have the potential to hit a big winning. When an email like this comes my way, I bask in the thought that I have already won so much, and then proceed on deleting. The same goes with the chain emails which insist that you send to at least 5 of your friends, or something bad will happen, or you’ll receive good fortune. We make our own luck; only forward the email if you really like the contents, not out of fear.
In case you ever come across one of these emails and are unsure, check out these sites for Internet scams and email hoaxes:
As people get smarter, the scams will quit. Happy emailing!
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