Netizens warned against Google Award email scam

Got an email hinting you might win 800,000 UK pounds (P53.453 million) as part of Google's 15th anniversary? Don't bite into it—it's a hoax.

 

While Google is turning 15 this September, it is not giving away any money, Internet anti-hoax site Hoax-Slayer.com reported.

 

"The recipient has won nothing at all and the email is not from Google. The message is a new incarnation of a long running scam designed to trick unwary Internet users into sending money and personal information to online criminals," it said.

 

It noted recipients will get an email claiming they had won 800,000 pounds in the "Google 15 Years Anniversary Awards" held in the UK.

 

But the email claimed winners will be paid "in accordance with their settlement centers."

 

The email then asks the recipient to give his or her full name, country, contact address, telephone number, fax number, occupation, sex, and age.

 

Hoax-Slayer.com said those who contact the bogus "agent" will be told to pay "a series of upfront fees" before their "prize" can be released.

 

It said the scammer will claim the upfront fees will cover "unavoidable expenses" such as insurance costs, legal fees, and bank transaction charges.

 

"Of course, all of the supposed fees are just as imaginary as the prize itself. And all of the money sent by victims will line the scammer's pockets. Once he has extracted as much money from the victim as possible, the scammer will disappear without trace, leaving victims still waiting hopefully for their prize money to turn up. Their wait is likely to be very long indeed. As in forever," it said.

 

Worse, the information given by the victims may be used later on to steal their identities.

 

Tips

 

TechNewsDaily.com offered would-be recipients of such mail tips to avoid being victimized:

Treat everything you see online with a healthy dose of skepticism, especially if the text contains any misspellings or grammatical errors. —VC, GMA News