Not the Real Thing: Beware the Coca-Cola Foreign Lottery Scam

Typical words from a phishing scam: "You are among the lucky winners. Send your name, address, phone number, occupation, sex, age, and nationality to this email."

So what's unusual about this one? It tries to fool its victims by associating itself with one of the world's most recognized brands, claiming it's a "Coca-Cola Official Prize Notification."

The email page sports several convincing-looking logos, though it's written in the same stilted language as many similar scams that originate in Nigeria.

"The email takes advantage of Coca-Cola's well-recognized name and logo to convince consumers they've won a foreign lottery prize," the Better Business Bureau serving Alaska, Oregon and Western Washington said in a statement.