Avoid getting scammed by fake "2022 FIFA Lottery Award" emails
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on (updated)
What kind of email is "2022 FIFA Lottery Award"?
The "2022 FIFA Lottery Award" email is spam. Our inspection of a letter belonging to this spam campaign revealed that it operates as a phishing scam. This fake email attempts to extract recipients' private data by claiming they have won a lottery. It must be emphasized that this spam mail is in no way associated with either FIFA or the FIFA World Cup.
"2022 FIFA Lottery Award" email scam overview
The "2022 FIFA Lottery Award" scam email states that the recipient has won a raffle held by FIFA. The letter instructs to check the attachment for more information.
The attached PDF document claims that the user's email address has been drawn as a winner of the "2022 FIFA World Cup" raffle. The user supposedly won first place in the fake lottery, and their prize is nearly three million USD. To receive the winnings, the document requests the user to provide their information: full name, address, mobile phone number, occupation, and age.
As mentioned in the introduction, all the claims made by the "2022 FIFA Lottery Award" email and its attachment are false. Therefore, the legitimate entities mentioned by them - FIFA, the FIFA World Cup, Camelot Group, and others - are not associated with this scam.
Typically, the information obtained through such phishing scams is either used to craft personalized schemes or sold to third-parties (potentially, cyber criminals).
However, emails like "2022 FIFA Lottery Award" can also request victims to make monetary transactions to receive the nonexistent prizes (e.g., pay taxes or transaction/storage/shipping/other fees).
Scammers can ask that the bogus payments to be transferred via dubious payment gateways, which operate as phishing websites. Hence, the finance-related data entered into them (e.g., online bank IDs/usernames/passwords, banking account details, credit card numbers, etc.) is disclosed to cyber criminals.
In summary, by trusting emails like "2022 FIFA Lottery Award" - users can experience severe privacy issues, financial losses, and even identity theft.
If you have already disclosed personally identifiable data to scammers, we strongly advise contacting relevant authorities without delay.
| Name | "2022 FIFA Lottery Award" phishing email |
| Threat Type | Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud |
| Fake Claim | Recipient has won the "2022 FIFA Lottery Award" |
| Disguise | Raffle/Lottery held by FIFA |
| Attachment(s) | 2022 FIFA AQ.pdf (filename may vary) |
| Symptoms | Unauthorized online purchases, changed online account passwords, identity theft, illegal access of the computer. |
| Distribution methods | Deceptive emails, rogue online pop-up ads, search engine poisoning techniques, misspelled domains. |
| Damage | Loss of sensitive private information, monetary loss, identity theft. |
| Malware Removal (Windows) | To eliminate possible malware infections, scan your computer with legitimate antivirus software. Our security researchers recommend using Combo Cleaner. |
Phishing spam campaign examples
We have analyzed thousands of spam emails; "Due Payment-Invoice", "Renewing The Domain", "Google Docs email scam", and "Annual Open Vacation Plan" are some examples of our latest finds within the phishing category.
These letters can target a broad range of infromation, but they are used to facilitate other types of scams as well (e.g., sextortion, fake technical support, etc.). Furthermore, spam mail is also used to proliferate trojans, ransomware cryptominers, and other malware.
How do spam campaigns infect computers?
Infectious files can be attached to and/or linked inside spam emails. These files can be archives, executables, Microsoft Office and PDF documents, JavaScript, etc.
Once a virulent file is executed, run, or otherwise opened - malware download/installation processes are initiated. For example, Microsoft Office documents infect systems by executing malicious macro commands.
How to avoid installation of malware?
We highly recommend caution with incoming mail. The attachments and links found in suspicious/irrelevant emails and messages - must not be opened since that can result in a system infection. It is important to use Microsoft Office versions released after 2010 since they have the "Protected View" mode that prevents automatic macro execution.
However, malware is not proliferated exclusively through spam mail. Therefore, we advise downloading only from official/verified sources. Additionally, all programs must be activated and updated using legitimate tools, as illegal activation tools ("cracks") and third-party updaters can contain malware.
Another recommendation is to be vigilant when browsing since fraudulent and malicious content usually appears ordinary and harmless.
We must emphasize that having a reputable anti-virus installed and updated is paramount to device/user safety. Security programs must be used to perform regular system scans and to remove detected threats. If you've already opened malicious attachments, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate infiltrated malware.
Text presented in the "2022 FIFA Lottery Award" email letter:
FIFA WORLD CUP
Qatar2022
Dear Winner,
This is to inform you that the Camelot National Lottery Group and the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, has held an Internet Raffle Draw, and your Email Address was among the
(18,600) Email Addresses that was picked by the computer during the Final Raffle Draw (FRD).
We are therefore with great pleasure, to notify you that your Email Address happened to come out top number (1) among the 5 winners out of the (18,600) Email addresses on the FINAL BALLOT DRAW, and this had made you the JACKPOT WINNER of the sum of US$2,950,000.00 (Two Million Nine Hundred And Fifty Thousand United Dollars). Your reference number is: XVX189298, send your details as stated below to following email address: claim@qatar-fifaworldcup.com
1) Full Name:
2) Physical Address:
3) Mobile Number:
4) Your reference number:
5) Occupation:
6) Age:
Congratulations!
Sincere Regards
Catharine Boyle (Mrs)
Gambling Commission Chief Executive
Screenshot of the "2022 FIFA Lottery Award" spam email attachment ("2022 FIFA AQ.pdf"):
Screenshot of a PDF document distributed FIFA-themed spam email:
Text presented within:
The FIFA World Cup Qatar2022 Bid Promotional Draw
®Canada Powerball Online Lottery
#1550 Princess Street, Kingston, ON, Canada, K7M 9E3
Privacy Coordinator, 700 North 10th Street Sacramento
Attention: E-mail ID Owner,
Ticket Number: BC7865 0987125 477
Winning Number: 02 – 11 – 22 – 35 – 60 Power Play: 23
Batch No. Lotto 6/P0022
Congratulations! Your email address has won you the total sum of $650,000.00 US Dollar in the online lotto Power Ball
promotional draw, organized and sponsored by the Qatar and Canadian Governments in conjunction with the South
Africa. The FIFA World Cup Qatar2022 Organizing Committee is a legacy to remember held on November 02, 2022 in
Kingston - Ontario Canada, to promote the FIFA World Cup Qatar2022 following the successful bid and approval by the
FIFA governing body.
We are happy to inform you that your email address attached to Ticket #: BC7865 0987125 477, drew the Winning
Numbers: 02 – 11 – 22 – 35 – 60 Power Play: [23] PowerPlay 2x has emerged the winner of US$650,000.00 (Six Hundred
and Fifty Thousand United States Dollars) This is from a total cash prize of $110,000,000.00 US Dollars, shared among the
first One Hundred and Ten (110) lucky winners in this jackpot category Worldwide.
Please note that your lucky winning numbers falls within our Afro booklet representative office in United Kingdom and
South Africa, as indicated in your electronic play coupon, All participants were randomly selected from World Wide
Websites through computer draws system and extracted from over 10, 000,000. 00 companies and personal email
addresses.
For security reasons, you are advised to keep your winning information confidential until your claims is processed and
your money remitted to you in whatever method you deem fit to claim your prize by an accredited Bank. This is part of our
precautionary measures to avoid double claiming and unwarranted abuse of this legal program by unscrupulous persons.
Our UK or South Africa agency will immediately commence the process to facilitate the release of your funds as soon as
you contact our Agency’s office.
To file your claim please contact our correspondent claim agent immediately you read this message for help and urgent
release of your fund. Our Representative contact details is as follows:
REPRESENTATIVE: DIRECTOR, TRUST CLAIM AGENCY
Contact Person: Mr. James TRUMAN
Contact Email: info.newlandsfinance@gmail.com
Email the claim agency the below stated information:
Full Name:
Address:
Nationality:
Gender:
Date of Birth:
Telephone Number:
Occupation:
Ticket Number:
Winning Number:
Thank you for being part of our prestigious lottery programme
Yours Sincerely
Ms. Jennifer Stewart (Secretary, Zonal Coordinator)
NOTE: To confirm that you have the correct winning numbers for the Nov., 02, 2022, draw do check: hxxps://powerball.com
Copyright© Multi-State Lottery Association. All Rights Reserved.
Another example of FIFA lottery-themed spam email:
Text presented within:
Subject: Email account winnings Promo.
Quatar world cup fifa 2022.
REF : Email account winnings Promo.
Congratulation!!!
We the (FIFA/QARTAR Lottery Team) have been mandated to notify that your email address is among the lucky selected few winners of the Qartar/Fifa world cup lottery.
Note that you winning falls within the bracket of US$1,750,000.00 One million seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars only for the last summer world cup held in cities in Qartar automatic random selection.
Your winning code is thus QFFC22/2022/55221
You ust keep your winning code private/confidential as that is your only power to claim the winning.
You have been mandated to contact the payment fudiciary selected agent as stated herein under with the outstated details.
Thanks.
Ernest Shin.Please Contact the fudiciary agent through the email below for your claims.
Name: Mr. Hammed Mustadeen
Email address: qatarfifdraws22@gmail.com
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Quick menu:
- What is "2022 FIFA Lottery Award" phishing email?
- Types of malicious emails.
- How to spot a malicious email?
- What to do if you fell for an email scam?
Types of malicious emails:
Phishing Emails
Most commonly, cybercriminals use deceptive emails to trick Internet users into giving away their sensitive private information, for example, login information for various online services, email accounts, or online banking information.
Such attacks are called phishing. In a phishing attack, cybercriminals usually send an email message with some popular service logo (for example, Microsoft, DHL, Amazon, Netflix), create urgency (wrong shipping address, expired password, etc.), and place a link which they hope their potential victims will click on.
After clicking the link presented in such email message, victims are redirected to a fake website that looks identical or extremely similar to the original one. Victims are then asked to enter their password, credit card details, or some other information that gets stolen by cybercriminals.
Emails with Malicious Attachments
Another popular attack vector is email spam with malicious attachments that infect users' computers with malware. Malicious attachments usually carry trojans that are capable of stealing passwords, banking information, and other sensitive information.
In such attacks, cybercriminals' main goal is to trick their potential victims into opening an infected email attachment. To achieve this goal, email messages usually talk about recently received invoices, faxes, or voice messages.
If a potential victim falls for the lure and opens the attachment, their computers get infected, and cybercriminals can collect a lot of sensitive information.
While it's a more complicated method to steal personal information (spam filters and antivirus programs usually detect such attempts), if successful, cybercriminals can get a much wider array of data and can collect information for a long period of time.
Sextortion Emails
This is a type of phishing. In this case, users receive an email claiming that a cybercriminal could access the webcam of the potential victim and has a video recording of one's masturbation.
To get rid of the video, victims are asked to pay a ransom (usually using Bitcoin or another cryptocurrency). Nevertheless, all of these claims are false - users who receive such emails should ignore and delete them.
How to spot a malicious email?
While cyber criminals try to make their lure emails look trustworthy, here are some things that you should look for when trying to spot a phishing email:
- Check the sender's ("from") email address: Hover your mouse over the "from" address and check if it's legitimate. For example, if you received an email from Microsoft, be sure to check if the email address is @microsoft.com and not something suspicious like @m1crosoft.com, @microsfot.com, @account-security-noreply.com, etc.
- Check for generic greetings: If the greeting in the email is "Dear user", "Dear @youremail.com", "Dear valued customer", this should raise suspiciousness. Most commonly, companies call you by your name. Lack of this information could signal a phishing attempt.
- Check the links in the email: Hover your mouse over the link presented in the email, if the link that appears seems suspicious, don't click it. For example, if you received an email from Microsoft and the link in the email shows that it will go to firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0... you shouldn't trust it. It's best not to click any links in the emails but to visit the company website that sent you the email in the first place.
- Don't blindly trust email attachments: Most commonly, legitimate companies will ask you to log in to their website and to view any documents there; if you received an email with an attachment, it's a good idea to scan it with an antivirus application. Infected email attachments are a common attack vector used by cybercriminals.
To minimise the risk of opening phishing and malicious emails we recommend using Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows.
Example of a spam email:
What to do if you fell for an email scam?
- If you clicked on a link in a phishing email and entered your password - be sure to change your password as soon as possible. Usually, cybercriminals collect stolen credentials and then sell them to other groups that use them for malicious purposes. If you change your password in a timely manner, there's a chance that criminals won't have enough time to do any damage.
- If you entered your credit card information - contact your bank as soon as possible and explain the situation. There's a good chance that you will need to cancel your compromised credit card and get a new one.
- If you see any signs of identity theft - you should immediately contact the Federal Trade Commission. This institution will collect information about your situation and create a personal recovery plan.
- If you opened a malicious attachment - your computer is probably infected, you should scan it with a reputable antivirus application. For this purpose, we recommend using Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows.
- Help other Internet users - report phishing emails to Anti-Phishing Working Group, FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, National Fraud Information Center and U.S. Department of Justice.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Why did I receive this email?
Spam emails are not personal. Scammers distribute them in mass-scale campaigns - therefore, thousands of users receive identical letters.
I have provided my personal information when tricked by this spam email, what should I do?
If you have disclosed personally identifiable and/or finance-related information (e.g., ID card details, passport scans, credit card numbers, etc.) - immediately contact the corresponding authorities. And if you've provided account credentials - change the passwords of all potentially exposed accounts and inform their official support without delay.
I have read a spam email but didn't open the attachment, is my computer infected?
No, merely opening an email will not trigger any system infection processes. Malware download/installation is jumpstarted when the malicious attachments or links found in this mail are opened/clicked.
I have downloaded and opened a file attached to a spam email, is my computer infected?
Whether your device was infected might depend on the purpose of the file and its format. Infections are only caused by files designed to do so - hence, ones used for phishing are incapable of infiltrating malware into systems. Malicious executables (.exe, .run, etc.) infect devices when they are opened almost without fail. While virulent documents (.doc, .xls, etc.) may require additional user interactions (e.g., enabling macro commands) to start downloading/installing malware.
Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?
Yes, Combo Cleaner is capable of detecting and eliminating nearly all known malware infections. It must be stressed that performing a full system scan is essential - as high-end malicious programs usually hide deep within systems.
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