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Level 1

0 points

Apple iPhone 2012 Promo - is it a scam?

hi,

i received an sms telling me that i won money in the Apple iPhone 2012 Promo. it said i must reply to

i replied via email and a Mr Wesley Benjamin from the Verification Department replied asking for personal details, eg country, marital status, Identity Document Number, etc.

Mr Wesley Benjamin replied from the following email address:

i then went through a series of back and forth correspondence via email, with the latest being that the parcel has arrived in my country from the UK and i must pay Customs Duty in order to finalise the collection of the parcel

A Mr Steven Anderson from the Heathrow Couriers (UK) Ltd then sent me an invoice for Customs Duty with the understanding that he will send the banking details within 48hrs.

Sorry for the long description, but i urgently need feedback as to whether this is a scam or not.

thank you

Posted on Feb 12, 2012 2:41 AM

Best reply

jderuvophotography

Level 1

70 points

Posted on Feb 12, 2012 12:50 PM

I am sorry but my first thought is yes!

Also seeing that you are supposedly responding to "Apple" it would seem odd that Apple is using a gmail account

gmail is a Google product, and on many levels Google and Apple are competitors

View in context

41 replies

Jul 3, 2013 5:44 PM in response to mktpppr

My mobile provider account online was hacked.. When I visited it today my account today 594 webtexts had been used. I have been receiving texts all day from people living in New Zealand asking how do they claim their prize. As I live in Ireland I really didn't understand what was happening until I realised it was hacked by this spam company. I have been receiving abuse all day. Obviously they hack peoples account and send messages from them by using innocent peoples numbers so that they don't have to be on the receiving end of the complaints and abuse. IT IS A SPAM, DO NOT REPLY TO THE MESSAGE ! I am sorry to anyone who has received messages from my number.,

Jul 15, 2013 4:09 AM in response to mktpppr

I recieved this email last friday. I've already reply them my name, my ph no. & address. Please let me know how to do now.

From The Office Of:
iPhone Promotion Regional Claims Agent
Dr. James Grant.
Good to hear from you regarding the iphone® UK Promo. My names is Dr. JAMES WAN. I am the iPhone® UK Promo Regional claims officer assigned to winners on the Mobile sweepstakes in your region.In line with the commemorating event marking our annual promotions, we rolled out this mobile promo for our Anniversary Draws. All participants were selected through a computer ballot system drawn from 25,000 company mobile numbers, and 30,000,000 individual mobile numbers from mobile networks from Australia, Middle East, North America, South America, Europe, Asia and Africa as part of International Promotions Program, which is conducted annually in Britain, London.
We officially congratulate you as the beneficiary of the cash prize of £550,000.00GBP (FIVE HUNDRED AND FIFTY THOUSAND GREAT BRITISH POUNDS), and brand new iPhone5 compiled to be delivered to you by our affiliated courier British Lite Courier.

We have received your claims email for your iPhone® UK Promo winnings, based on this, your prize money shall be remitted to you accordingly.

This promotion is approved by the British Gaming Board and also licensed by the International Association of Gaming Regulators (IAGR). This promo is the 1st of its kind and we intend to sensitize the public about iPhone® UK Promo.

I must say that you should count yourself extremely lucky to have emerged as one of our (4) lucky winners in your country and we do sincerely hope you will put part of your winnings into good use for community, educational and business development and also to render selfless services to the less privileged in your community.

The process for claiming your winnings has been made very simple so that within 4-7 business days, you are assured of receiving your cash prize and all the legal documents backing your winnings. In the light of the above mentioned, you are to Contact our Affiliate Delivery department with the contact information below for further instructions on how to send your winning cheque to your location. The documents to be sent to you by the courier, which we have already sign and sealed are; WINNING CHEQUE,WINNING CERTIFICATE AND CLEAR SOURCE OF FUNDS CERTIFICATES (C.S.F.C.).

You should contact the Office of the courier e-mail that will handle the delivery of your winning check to you with the contact information below.

CONTACT THE BRITISH LITE COURIER TO DELIVER YOUR PARCEL TO YOU.

carl wolf

Level 6

14,625 points

Jul 15, 2013 5:14 AM in response to May Mon San

"Please let me know how to do now."

Nothing.

Jul 15, 2013 6:23 AM in response to May Mon San

This is a scam. You should know better.

Never reply to these.

Aug 7, 2013 1:52 PM in response to mktpppr

Wel wel i received a sms as well i replied to it and just emailed but no personal info and what do you know i got an email back

Confrming im a winner! So i start reading the email 10times and the more i read them

More its to good to be true! I google and here we are at this forum where i learn it is a scam! My gut feeling was right dont

Fall for this use yur head people i did! Believe me i love money but my live even more! Scam!scam!scam!

Sep 9, 2013 11:36 AM in response to mktpppr

The email message is an attempt to scam you. Apple do not conduct any such promotion raffles or lotteries. Scammers send millions of lottery winning text messages everyday. So a million winners? They expect a few gullible people to reply and then by dangling the FAKE offer of the large winning amount, start defrauding them by asking them to pay “Taxes”, “Govt. Fees”, “Legal Cost”, “Customs Duty”, “Release Certificate”, “Central Bank Charges”, “Wiring Fees”........ by the time the poor victim realizes he is being badly cheated, he would have lost thousands of dollars.

You may run through the current crop of Apple Lottery Scam Messages at:
http://www.scamcallfighters.com/Lottery-Winner-Scam-complaints-34.html (Scam Call Fighters is a community of consumers reporting emerging scams)

Mar 25, 2015 1:18 PM in response to mktpppr

Hi Guys

I just recieved an sms scam for 1,000,000.00 pounds

another scam in Aus wanting deatails email,etc just letting you know

Debben99

Level 1

0 points

Mar 25, 2015 1:20 PM in response to mktpppr

I just got the same email, basically. I googled "google Lottery Apple laptop scam" and found this thread.

Here's what I got:

This is to inform you that you have won a prize money of seven hundred and fifty

Thousand , U.S Dollar ( $750,000. 00 USD ) And APPLE LAPTOP for the Annual

Lottery promotion which is organized by GOOGLE / GMAIL LOTTERY INC IN

COLLABORATION WITH THE UNITED NATION ( UN ) . GOOGLE/ GMAIL

WINDOWS

For claims of your parcel send your details to our delivery officer for claims

1. FULL NAMES: 2. HOUSE ADDRESS:

3 . OCCUPATION: 4. SEX: 5 . AGE:

6 DIRECT PHONE NO : 7. S TATE: 8. COUNTRY:

Send your details to the email below

Jan 19, 2015 7:46 PM in response to Debben99

Debben99 wrote:

I just got the same email, basically. I googled "google Lottery Apple laptop scam" and found this thread.

OK. What's your point?

Debben99

Level 1

0 points

Jan 19, 2015 7:56 PM in response to Templeton Peck

Right here ---------> .

Mar 26, 2015 7:35 AM in response to mktpppr

There is a new one going around.

User uploaded file

Dear Email User,

The Apple Incorporation Board is happy to congratulate you as one of the lucky winners to have won the sum of Six Hundred Thousand United States Dollars with an Apple laptop and an iPhone, through our international promotion program. Your email address was among those chosen from our java-based software that randomly selects email addresses from the web and from various companies’ emails. Apple Incorporation Board was organized to promote global awareness of our products and also appreciate our users all over the world.

To receive more information in regard to how you are to claim your prize, you are to contact our 2015 lottery events manager; he is in better position to assist you in claiming your prize.

FILL AND SUBMIT YOUR INFORMATION TO OUR EVENTS MANAGER BELOW,

Contact Mail:
appplelotto @ foxmail . com

1. Name:

2. Sex:

3. Age:

4. Resident Address:

5. Occupation:

6. Mobile Number:

7. States:

8. City:

9. Country:

Thanks for your cooperation and you will be attended to, as soon as you contact our events manager

Mr. Daniel Andrews

Events Manager.

I really enjoy messing with thes people so in response i sent this

1. Name: Ron Burgundy

2. Sex: Only if she's hot

3. Age: 37

4. Resident Address: 3 American Way

5. Occupation: News anchor KVWN

6. Mobile Number: (858) 492-8002

7. States: California

8. City: San Diego

9. Country: USA

The phone number is the San Diego Rejection Hotline and the address is completely fake. However I hope they "stay classy" as they try to steal Ron Burgundy's personal info

Apple iPhone 2012 Promo - is it a scam?