Microsoft, in collaboration with the United States Postal Inspection Service and Western Union, wants to help educate consumers about these scams. Microsoft and Western Union also participate in the Advance Fee Fraud Coalition, a private sector initiative to raise public awareness and encourage victims to report these crimes to law enforcement.

Common types of Advance Fee Fraud or lottery scams

Advance Fee Fraud or lottery scams are fraudulent e-mail messages that come from someone you do not know or come from someone impersonating someone you know. The e-mail messages may also appear to come from corporate executives or government officials who are promising gifts or supervising financial transactions.

The sender may make any number of deceptive claims or requests. Here are some of the most popular:

You are needed to help with a financial transaction, such as the transfer of a large sum of money into an account.
You have received an inheritance or gift.
You are the winner of a cash prize through a lottery or sweepstakes that you never entered.
The sender has been robbed while traveling and needs financial assistance to return home.

The e-mail messages are intended to cause an emotional reaction and to get you to send money or provide personal information such as your name, address, telephone number, passwords, banking account numbers, credit card information, and more. Sometimes the e-mail messages will include viruses, malicious attachments, or other unwanted software.

Microsoft Lottery is an example of a lottery scam—Scammers send false e-mail messages claiming that you have won "the Microsoft Lottery or a sweepstakes" and often make messages look like they came from a Microsoft executive. The messages may also include pictures and telephone numbers. These claims are fictitious. There is no Microsoft Lottery or sweepstakes. Microsoft does not provide financial compensation to any victims of the Microsoft Lottery. For more information, see What is the Microsoft Lottery Fraud?

Nigerian letter or 419 scam is an example of Advance Fee Fraud. The scammer often claims to be from Nigeria. 419 is the Nigerian criminal code that this type of scam violates.

Phishing scams often come in the form of a general request from a legitimate organization. Criminals who send these are very creative. They may contact you pretending to represent Microsoft, the FBI, or a security team in order to convince you that they are legitimate. DO NOT SEND ANY MONEY IN RETURN FOR A PROMISE OF COMPENSATION.

Four signs of a lottery or Advance Fee Fraud scam

The e-mail message includes urgent requests, upsetting or exciting statements, or promises intended to get you to react immediately.
The sender asks for personal or financial information such as usernames or account names, passwords, credit card numbers, social security numbers, dates of birth, and so on.
The message contains a request for you to transfer large sums of money to qualify for a prize or future winnings, or you are told you must pay additional fees to further the transaction.
The e-mail message includes one or more of the following characteristics:
- The "from" address may be different than the "reply to" address.
- The message contains misspellings, including a misspelled Web address. Cyber criminals commonly use addresses with typos that may go undetected.
- The message has links that appear to connect you to a legitimate business or governmental agency.
- The link in the message is different than the link that you are directed to.

How can I prevent a scam from happening to me?

The following suggestions could help you avoid lottery scams and Advance Fee Fraud.

Beware of promises that look too good to be true. They usually are fake.
Know who you are dealing with. Independently verify the sender's name, address, telephone number, and other personal information, even if it is someone you think you know.
Delete requests that claim to be from corporate executives, government officials, or foreign nationals that you are not expecting to hear from or whose identity you have not verified.
Delete Microsoft Lottery or sweepstakes e-mails. They are fake.
Ignore e-mail messages containing requests for copies of your government-issued identification or information about your finances, usernames, or passwords.
If you are selling something over the Internet, don't accept a potential buyer's offer to send you a check for more than the purchase price, no matter how tempting the plea or convincing the story. End the transaction immediately if someone insists that you wire back funds.
Do not click on links in e-mail messages, texts, pop ups, or instant messages, and do not open unexpected attachments.

What should I do if I notice suspicious activity?

Do not respond to suspicious e-mail messages or click on the links in the message.
Do not believe the promise of large sums of money in return for your cooperation. When possible, report the e-mail message as junk and then delete it.
If you receive a suspicious e-mail message from someone that you know, use an alternate e-mail address or another method of communication, such as a phone call to confirm that the message was actually sent by someone you know. If the e-mail message wasn't sent by the person you contacted, that person should contact his or her ISP (Internet service provider) or e-mail service provider.
Do not send any money without confirming that the request is coming from someone that you know.
If you believe that someone is using your Windows Live account, you can reset your password. Go to https://login.live.com and click Forgot your password?
Never agree to meet suspicious e-mail senders in person — you will not receive your money and you may be putting yourself in danger.
If you know someone who is corresponding in a suspicious scheme, encourage that person to contact local law enforcement, the FBI or the U.S. Secret Service as soon as possible.
If you have become a victim or you have noticed suspicious activity, report it. See below for more information.

Report Advance Fee Fraud and Microsoft Lottery scams

If you are the victim of an Advance Fee Fraud or lottery scam, the first step to take care of the situation is to report the details of the crime to your local law enforcement agency. To assist law enforcement, we suggest you provide:

A full and complete copy of the message or messages. (If communication was through another method, provide complete records.)
All communication data, including e-mail addresses, telephone numbers, and postal addresses.
All information about the transfer of money, including remittances and receipts.
Personal information about the criminals.

If you receive a lottery or Advance Fee Fraud e-mail message in your Windows Live Hotmail account, click on the report phishing scam on the message toolbar in Windows Live Hotmail or report the message to Microsoft.

For any other suspicious activity, visit Windows Live support or go to the Hotmail Online Solutions Center.

Who to contact

U.S. agencies

FTC. Report unsolicited e-mail offers including Advance Fee Fraud and lottery scams by forwarding the e-mail message to spam@uce.gov.
Secret Service. To file a complaint, look up your local Secret Service field office at their Web site.
United States Postal Inspection Service. If you receive what looks like lottery material, including the Microsoft Lottery, through the postal mail, give it to your local postmaster. For more information, see Hot Tip on Playing Foreign Lotteries by Mail: "Don't Do It."