BMW warns on mass fraudulent emails under the name "BMW Automobile Company"

I’m sure most of you will have had your share of spam emails varying from 20c Viagra pills to super rich African dictators in need of help to get a million bucks into the US. Well, here’s another one to add to your list. This one is entitled ‘International Awareness Promotion Department of the BMW Automobile Company’ and it states that the recipient has won a BMW lottery.

The winner is entitled to several hundreds of thousands of Euros, Dollars or pounds –depending where you live, and a brand new BMW 5 Series car with insurance covered for a year. The bogus message of course advises recipients to contact the 'claims department' and includes a fake corporate address, email address and telephone number to enhance the legitimacy of the scheme. –Continued: Click “Read More…” below

The fraudulent emails seem to have worried BMW officials as the Bavarian’s UK department has just issued an official announcement warning people of the scam. We also found a corresponding announcement on BMW’s USA site which you can check out here. You’ve been warned so don’t start pipe dreaming of you and a long legged dame in the back seat of a black Bimmer the next time you see something like this in your mailbox.

BMW UK RELEASE

On-line fraud

Following a spate of bogus emails, BMW UK would like to underscore that it does not offer cash prizes or cars as part of free prize draws. An email entitled ‘International Awareness Promotion Department of the BMW Automobile Company’ is not a bonafide BMW campaign and the firm has no relationship with the people responsible for issuing the notices.

Richard Price, BMW national customer service manager, said: “We are aware that there are a number of similar emails in circulation and we are currently investigating how to prevent those responsible from using BMW’s name in such a way. We advise anyone who receives the email not to enter into correspondence with the sender.”

Example of ‘International Awareness Promotion Department of the BMW Automobile Company’ bogus email

HEAD OFFICE:BMW Kundenbetreuung
80788 München,Germany.
Tel/Fax:+491-8054-8207-90718

THE INTERNATIONAL AWARENESS
PROMOTION CLAIMS DEPARTMENT OF
THE BMW AUTOMOBILE COMPANY.
Surinamestraat 24
2585 GJ Den Haag
Netherlands .

Reference Number:BMW/2441257016/21

CONGRATULATION!!! YOU ARE A WINNER.

The Board of Directors, members of staff and the International Awareness Promotion Department of the BMW Automobile Company, wishes to congratulate you on your success as the STAR PRIZE WINNER in this years' BMW Automobile International Awareness Promotion (IAP) held on Friday 13th of April 2007, in München, Germany.

This makes you the proud owner of a brand new BMW 5 Series, M Sport Saloon car and a cash prize of $500,000.00us dollars (Five Hundred Thousand united state dollars). The car comes with a special BMW Insurance Cover for one whole year, that is, till the next promotion in 2008. It also comes with a one year warranty.

DESCRIPTION OF PRIZE VEHICLE: YEAR 2006 MODEL(550i M Sport Saloon)

The selection process was carried out through random selection in our Computerized Email Selection System (C.E.S.S.) from a database of over a million email addresses from the world wide web. Each email address was attached to a ticket number and your email address with ticket number:7657645545100 and serial number:BMWP/226543451008 was randomly selected
as the star prize winner amongst other consolation prize winners. For you to collect your prizes/winnings, kindly fill the verification form below and send it to the Claims Manager, Dr.Donald Todd of our claims department in the netherlands through email, stating your receipt of this notification. He has been mandated to offer you assistance and fascilitate the urgent delivery of your prizes.

CLAIMS MANAGER:

Dr.Donald Todd.

BMW Promotion Claims Department

TEL: +31-626-798-892
FAX: +31-847-474-594
EMAIL: bmwpromoclaims@aol.com
VERIFICATION FORM:
1.) FULL NAME:
2.) AGE:
3.) SEX:
4.) ADDRESS:
5.) ZIP/POSTAL CODE:
6.) STATE/PROVINCE:
7.) COUNTRY:
8.) PHONE:
9.) OCCUPATION/POSITION:
10.) COMPANY:
11.) EMAIL ADDRESS:
12.) TICKET NUMBER:
13.) SERIAL NUMBER

Congratulations once more, & keep trusting BMW Automobile for top quality automobiles.

Engr. Martin Schultz.
DIRECTOR OF PROMOTIONS,
INTERNATIONAL AWARENESS PROMOTIONS,
BMW AUTOMOBILE.
Kundenbetreuung 80788 München,Germany.
Tel/Fax:+491-8054-8207-90718

The Bmw International Awareness Promotion Copyright ©2007.All Right Reserve.