How to identify fake "Big Lotto" emails

What kind of email is "Big Lotto"?

After reviewing this "Big Lotto" email, we determined that it is spam. This phishing message claims that the recipient has won the six million USD grand prize in a lottery. The purpose of this spam campaign is to collect victims' personally identifiable and finance-related information.

"Big Lotto" email scam overview

The spam email with the subject "Prize Claim Department" (may vary) congratulates the recipient on winning the "Big Grand Prize". The amount they have won is six million USD. The claims agent must be contacted within seven business days. It must be reiterated that all the information in this message is false, and this mail is not associated with any legitimate lotteries or entities.

The scam email requests the recipient to provide a copy of their valid government ID (e.g., passport, driver's license, etc.) and their banking account details. With this information in their possession, cyber criminals can carry out a variety of nefarious activities – including stealing victims' identities, facilitating fraudulent transactions, and so on.

However, the scammers may also seek additional data or funds directly. To elaborate, victims may be lured into visiting phishing websites disguised as bank account sign-in pages. Alternatively, scammers can ask to be sent money for legitimate-sounding reasons, such as taxes or transaction fees.

If you have provided your personally identifiable or financial information to cyber criminals – contact the appropriate authorities without delay.

Phishing spam campaign examples

We have written about countless spam emails; "Google Anniversary Award", "Online Webmail Deactivation", "Deezer Email Scam", and "Webmail Password Validation" are just a few of our latest articles on phishing campaigns.

This mail predominantly targets personally identifiable information, finance-related data, and log-in credentials (e.g., emails, entertainment services, social networking/media, e-commerce platforms, money transferring, online banking, digital wallets, etc.).

Various lures are used to gain and subsequently abuse recipients' trust, including lotteries, giveaways, product promotions, subscription cancellations/renewals, inheritances, expired passwords, undelivered messages, security concerns, account issues, payments/invoices, and so forth.

Due to how prevalent spam mail is and how well-made it can be – we highly recommend approaching incoming emails, DMs/PMs, SMSes, and other messages with care.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Spam campaigns proliferate malware by distributing infectious files as attachments or links. These files come in various formats, e.g., documents (PDF, Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, etc.), executables (EXE, RUN, etc.), archives (ZIP, GZIP, RAR, etc.), JavaScript, and so on.

Merely opening a virulent file can be enough to trigger malware infiltration. Some formats need extra interaction. For example, Microsoft Office files require users to enable macro commands (i.e., content/editing), while OneNote documents need them to click embedded files or links.

How to avoid installation of malware?

We strongly advise caution with incoming emails and other messages. Attachments or links found in suspect/irrelevant mail must not be opened, as they can be harmful or infectious.

However, malware is proliferated using various techniques. Therefore, we recommend vigilance when browsing since fake and dangerous online content usually appears genuine and harmless.

Another recommendation is to download only from official and trustworthy sources. Software must be activated and updated using functions/tools provided by legitimate developers, as illegal program activation tools ("cracks") and third-party updates can contain malware.

We must stress the importance of having a reputable antivirus installed and kept updated. Security software must be used to run 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 "Big Lotto" spam email letter:

Subject: Prize Claim Department

Dear Big Lotto Winner,

Congratulations on being selected as the Big Grand Prize Winner in our recent lottery draw! Your winning amount is an astounding $6,000,000.00 (Six Million US Dollars), with the winning ticket number: [92548492693], and claim reference: [9529434948].

To claim your prize, please ensure to contact our Authorized Claims Agent, Debilio Tony, within the next 7 business days at debtony760@gmail.com to facilitate the wire transfer process to your designated bank account. Below are the agent's contact details for your convenience:

Name: Debilio Tony
Email: debtony760@gmail.com
Phone: 304 304 7090

For verification purposes, you will need to provide the following documents:
1. A valid government-issued ID (Passport/Driver's License)
2. Bank account details for wire transfer

Please remember:
- Failure to contact the agent within the stipulated time may lead to forfeiture of your prize.
- Keep this notification confidential to maintain security.

This notification is signed by Big Lotto's Official Lottery Commission.

DISCLAIMER: This is an automated notification. Please only respond to official email contacts provided. Be cautious of any suspicious emails or calls regarding your winnings.

Congratulations once again on your incredible win!

Sincerely,
[Big Lotto]
Prize Claim Department

Instant automatic malware removal:

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Quick menu:

• What is "Big Lotto" 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, even if they contain information relevant to the recipients. This mail is sent out in mass-scale campaigns – i.e., thousands of users receive identical (or incredibly similar) messages.

I have provided my personal information when tricked by this spam email, what should I do?

If you have disclosed your personally identifiable or finance-related information (e.g., ID card details, passport scans/photos, credit/debit card numbers, etc.) – immediately contact the corresponding authorities. And if you've provided your log-in credentials – change the passwords of all possibly compromised accounts and inform their official support.

I have read a spam email but didn't open the attachment, is my computer infected?

Reading an email does not pose an infection threat; systems are compromised when malicious attachments or links are opened/clicked.

I have downloaded and opened a file attached to a spam email, is my computer infected?

File formats can influence infection success rates. Once opened, executables cause infections almost without fail. Some formats – like documents – need extra interaction to initiate malware download/installation processes (e.g., enabling macros, clicking embedded content, etc.).

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?

Combo Cleaner can detect and eliminate almost all known malware infections. Note that performing a complete system scan is essential since high-end malicious software typically hides deep within systems.