How to avoid getting scammed by fake "Australia Lottery" emails

What kind of email is "Australia Lottery"?

After reading this "Australia Lottery" email, we determined that it is spam. This is a phishing email that claims the recipient has won 9.5 million USD in a lottery. This spam mail aims to extract private information and potentially trick recipients into sending scammers money.

"Australia Lottery" email scam overview

The spam email with the subject "GOOD NEW FROM AUSTRALIA LOTTO LOTTERY INC REPLY ASAP" (may vary) states that the recipient's email address has been electronically drawn as one of the winners in the "Australia Lotto" lottery. They have won in the second category, and their prize is $90,500,000. The email advises to keep information about winning a secret for security reasons, and later it is stated that breaching confidentially will result in disqualification.

It must emphasized that all the information in this email is false, and this mail is not associated with any legitimate lotteries or other entities.

This scam email requests that the recipient provide their name, address, and telephone number within thirty days to claim their winnings. Once the deadline passes, the nonexistent prize will be forfeited. Scammers can carry out a variety of nefarious activities by abusing personally identifiable information.

Victims may be asked to provide even more data, such as sending copies of ID cards/passports or disclosing account log-in credentials through phishing websites/files (e.g., emails, social networking, e-commerce, online banking, digital wallets, etc.).

Furthermore, scammers can ask victims for money and give them legitimate-sounding reasons like paying taxes or transaction fees. The email expresses the hope that the recipient will dedicate part of their prize to participate in the "end of year high stakes" with a $1.3 billion prize pool – this could be the lure used to trick victims into sending funds to scammers.

To summarize, by trusting an email like "Australia Lottery" – users can experience severe privacy issues, financial losses, and identity theft. If you have disclosed your personally identifiable or finance-related data to cyber criminals – contact the appropriate authorities without delay.

Phishing spam campaign examples

We have investigated countless spam campaigns; "Affirm Account Status By Completing CAPTCHA", "Take Immediate Action", "DHL - Shipping Container Document Invoice", "Changes To Terms Of Service And Privacy Policy", "WordPress Contact Email Verification", "Big Lotto", and "Google Anniversary Award" are just some of our latest articles on phishing emails.

Commonly targeted information includes personally identifiable details, log-in credentials, and finance-related data. However, various scams are promoted through spam mail (e.g., sextortion, tech support, refund, etc.). It is also used to distribute all kinds of malware (e.g., trojans, ransomware, cryptominers, etc.).

Due to how prevalent this mail is and how well-made it can be – we highly recommend caution with incoming emails, PMs/DMs, SMSes, and other communications.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Malware is often proliferated via spam campaigns. Malicious files can be attached to or linked inside the emails/messages. These files come in various formats, e.g., documents (Microsoft Office, Microsoft OneNote, PDF, etc.), executables (EXE, RUN, etc.), archives (RAR, ZIP, etc.), JavaScript, and so forth.

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

How to avoid installation of malware?

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

However, malware is spread using various techniques. Therefore, we recommend exercising caution when browsing since the Internet is rife with deceptive and dangerous content.

Additionally, all downloads must be performed from official and trustworthy sources. Another recommendation is to activate and update software using genuine functions/tools, as illegal activation tools ("cracks") and third-party updates can contain malware.

It is paramount to have a reputable antivirus installed and kept updated. Security programs must be used to run regular system scans and to remove detected threats and issues. 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 "Australia Lottery" spam email letter:

Subject: GOOD NEW FROM AUSTRALIA LOTTO LOTTERY INC REPLY ASAP

AUSTRALIA LOTTO LOTTERY INC. ELECTRONIC MAIL AWARD-WINNING NOTIFICATION AWARD PRESENTATION CENTER: AUSTRALIA DATE: 18/05/2025 Ref: 575061725 Batch: 8056490902/188 Winning no: KB8701/LPRC CONGRATULATIONS............................... We are delighted to inform you of your prize released on the 18th May 2025 from the Australian International Lottery programmer. Which is fully based on an electronic selection of winners using their e-mail addresses, your name was attached to ticket number 575061725 8056490902 serial number:6741137002 batch number 8056490902/188. This batch draws the lucky numbers as follows 4-13-33-37-42 bonus number 17, which consequently won the lottery in the second category. You hereby have been approved a lump sum of US$9,500,000.00 in cash credit file ref ILP/HW 47509/05 from the total cash prize of US$90,500,000.00 shared among lucky winners in this category. All participants were selected through a computer balloting system drawn from Two hundred thousand E-mail addresses from Canada, Australia, United States, Europe,Middle East, Africa and Oceania as part of our international promotions program which is conducted annually. This Lottery was promoted and sponsored by a conglomerate of some multinational companies as part of their social responsibility to the citizens in the communities where they have an operational base. We hope with part of your prize, you will participate in our end of year high stakes for a US$1.3 Billion international draw. HOW TO CLAIM YOUR PRIZE, Simply contact Our fiduciary agent, NAME: MR. BARRISTER WILLIAMS MOORE EMAIL: barristermoore83@gmail.com to file for your claim. Please quote your reference, batch and winning number which can be found on the top left corner of this notification as well as your full name, address and telephone number to help us locate your file easily. For security reasons, we advise all winners to keep this information confidential from the public until their claim is processed and your prize released to you. This is part of our security protocol to avoid double claiming and unwarranted taking advantage of this programmer by non-participant or unofficial personnel. Note, all winnings MUST be claimed on or before 30 DAYS AFTER YOU HAVE RECEIVED YOU'RE WINNING INFORMATION. Otherwise, all funds will be returned as Unclaimed and eventually donate to charity. Congratulations, once more from the entire Management and Staff of AUSTRALIA L.LOTTERY Cooperation to all our lucky winners this year. Thank you for being part of this promotional lottery program. Yours Sincerely, Mrs LISA ADDISSON (co-ordinator). PLEASE DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL. KINDLY CONTACT YOUR CLAIMS AGENT: barristermoore83@gmail.com BREACH OF CONFIDENTIALITY ON THE PART OF THE WINNERS WILL RESULT TO DISQUALIFICATION. THANKS: MANAGEMENT, AUSTRALIA LOTTO LOTTERY INC. ...

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Quick menu:

• What is "Australia Lottery" 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, regardless of any relevant information that they might include. This mail is sent out in large-scale campaigns – hence, thousands of users receive identical or incredibly similar emails.

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

If you have provided your log-in credentials – change the passwords of all possibly exposed accounts and inform their official support without delay. However, if you have disclosed other private information (e.g., ID card details, passport scans/photos, credit/debit card numbers, etc.) – immediately contact the appropriate authorities.

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

No, reading an email will not trigger any malware download/installation chains. Devices are infected 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 may influence infection success rates. If you have opened an executable – most likely, yes – your system was infected. However, you might have avoided this if it was a document. These formats may need extra interaction (e.g., enabling macros, clicking embedded content, etc.) to initiate malware infiltration processes.

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections present in email attachments?

Yes, Combo Cleaner can detect and eliminate most of the known malware infections. Remember that performing a complete system scan is paramount since high-end malicious programs tend to hide deep within systems.