How to avoid falling for scams like "Google Email Lottery International Promotions"
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on
What is "Google Email Lottery International Promotions"?
After reviewing the email, we have determined that it is a scam pretending to be a notification from Google about a lottery win. Scam emails like this one are usually used to extract personal information or money from unsuspecting recipients. It is important to recognize such emails and avoid responding to them.
More about the "Google Email Lottery International Promotions" scam email
The email claims to be from Ana Corrales, Chief Operating Officer at Google International LLC. It states that the recipient has won $2,000,000 in the "GOOGLE LOTTERY INTERNATIONAL 2024". It instructs the recipient to contact the email address google.lott@hotmail.com to claim their prize and asks for personal details such as full name, country, age, occupation, and phone number.
Like most emails of this type, this one encourages the recipient to respond quickly without thinking critically. If the recipient provides the requested details, scammers may use them to steal identities, target the recipient for other scams, or for other malicious purposes. Also, scammers often ask victims to pay fake fees as part of the scam.
They may claim that the victim needs to pay taxes, processing fees, or other charges before receiving their "prize". These fees are completely fake, and once paid, the scammers disappear, taking the victim's money without delivering anything in return.
Overall, it is important not to reply to scammers (or open files and links in scam emails) to avoid monetary loss, identity theft, and other issues.
| Name | Google Email Lottery International Promotions Scam |
| Threat Type | Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud |
| Fake Claim | The recipient has won $2,000,000 |
| Disguise | Letter from Google |
| Symptoms | Generic greeting, urgent language, suspicious links, grammatical errors. |
| 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. |
Similar scam emails in general
Emails of this type typically claim the recipient has won a large prize or lottery and require payment of fake fees before the prize can be claimed. They often ask for personal information, such as bank details or ID card information. These emails are designed to exploit the recipient's trust and steal money or sensitive data.
Some examples of similar scams are "World Covid-19 Support Program (W.C.S.P)", "Elon Musk - Donation From Change", "Budweiser Lottery". Users should be aware that deceptive emails can be used to trick them into launching malware on their computers.
How do spam campaigns infect computers?
Cybercriminals often use malicious attachments or links to trick users into infecting their systems through emails. Whether a computer is infected after opening a file depends on its type. For instance, opening an infected executable file can lead to an immediate infection, while files like compromised Microsoft Office documents cannot infect systems unless users enable macros.
When emails include harmful links, clicking them can lead users to websites that either prompt them to download malicious software or automatically begin malware downloads. In most instances, the malware can only infiltrate once the user interacts with the file or link in some way.
How to avoid installation of malware?
Use reliable antivirus software, keep it (and the operating system and other apps) up to date, and run regular scans. Do not open attachments or click links in unexpected emails from unknown or untrusted senders. Only download software from trusted sources (official pages or app stores) and verify the legitimacy of websites before downloading anything.
Avoid visiting suspicious or untrustworthy websites, and be cautious when clicking on ads or pop-ups. If you have already opened malicious attachments, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate infiltrated malware.
Text presented in the "Google Email Lottery International Promotions" email letter:
Subject:
Reply-To: google.lott@hotmail.com
GOOGLE EMAIL LOTTERY INTERNATIONAL PROMOTIONS
Dear Winner,
Results for category "A" Email Draws..
Amount Won: $2,000,000 (Two Million US Dollars Only)Congratulations to you our Winner in the GOOGLE LOTTERY INTERNATIONAL 2024 (NO TICKETS SOLD).
To file for your Winning Prize Amount, Please contact google.lott@hotmail.comSend your details to tag with your winning prize.
1. Full-Name:
2. Country/Nationality:
3. Country You Now Live::
4. Job:
5. Age
6. Mobile No:
Congratulations once again..
Ana Corrales,
Chief Operating Officer
Google International LLC
E-mail: google.lott@hotmail.com
Tel: (845) 412-4000
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Quick menu:
- What is Fake Google Email Lottery International Promotions 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?
Scammers send the same generic email to thousands of recipients, hoping that at least one person will fall for the scam. These spam emails are mass-produced and lack personalization.
I have provided my personal information when tricked by this email, what should I do?
If you have shared personal information, immediately change your passwords (if exposed), monitor your accounts for suspicious activity, and report the incident to your bank or relevant authorities.
I have downloaded and opened a malicious file attached to an email, is my computer infected?
It depends on the file type. If the file is an executable, your computer may be infected. However, if it is some other file, like a document, and you did not take additional steps, you may have avoided malware infiltration.
I have sent cryptocurrency to the address presented in such email, can I get my money back?
Unfortunately, cryptocurrency transactions are irreversible, so once sent, it is unlikely you can recover your funds.
I have read the email but did not open the attachment, is my computer infected?
If you only read the email and did not open the attachment or click on any links, your computer is not infected.
Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections that were present in email attachment?
Yes, Combo Cleaner can detect and remove nearly all known malware. However, advanced malware often hides deep within the system, so performing a full system scan is essential to ensure complete removal.
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