Nokia Lottery scammers: still out there. Beware.

GLOBAL – It’s that time of the year again when we at Nokia Conversations want to remind you all that the so-called Nokia Lottery is a dishonest scam. We’ve warned against this for the past two years but still we hear news – through our comments – that the scammers are still trying get you to part with your hard-earned cash. Don’t let them get it. It’s yours; keep it. Join us as we give you some tips on how to stay safe this year.

Back in 2009 we let you know that the Nokia Lottery doesn’t exist and never will. Then in early 2010 we did the same thing again, as it’s clearly needed. Racking up more than 700 comments combined, you’ve copied and pasted the scamming emails you’ve received in your droves. This is a great way of helping fellow readers determine what’s real and what’s not. But it always ends the same way: the Nokia Lottery isn’t real.
How the Nokia Lottery scam works

There are a couple of methods these scammers use, in the hope of stealing your money.

You receive an email claiming you have been chosen at random, to receive a prize, usually a large figure of money. In this case, £350,000 is the prize. However, to receive your winnings you must send them some money as an admin charge. £650 in this same case. They hope you’ll be so dazzled by the large sum of money they claim you’ve won, that you’ll send the admin fee. It’s at this point you’ll never hear from them again and your money will be lost.

A second method commonly used is contacting you by SMS. These text messages will tell you you’ve won a heap of money, like in this case, but you must first phone a telephone number or email back to hand over your bank details. Do not do this. Never give your bank details to a stranger, especially if all you know about them is their mobile phone number.

Whatever method they use, they will be asking for the same thing. Either your bank account details, or some money in another form and the messages they send always look official, but they’re not. They’re fake.
What to do if you receive a Nokia Lottery scam SMS or email

Don’t respond to the messages, doing so will only encourage them to keep contacting you.

There are several agencies and sites out there to help you, where you can report the fraud in the hope to get these stopped:

Action Fraud
Snopes
The Anti-Phishing Working Group

If you haven’t entered any competition, or if the prize looks too good to be true, then it almost certainly will be. Let’s have a safe 2011.