Contests And Promotions Myths & Rumors

Rumor: Coca-Cola Award, Cash Prize, Sweepstakes or Promotional Drawing Winner Notification

The Coca-Cola Company has learned of several emails in circulation, as well as letters being mailed to people through the postal system, which falsely claim that the recipient of the email has either won a sweepstake or been randomly selected for a cash prize from our Company. The letters are written to look official and appear to come from a financial institution. They often contain a claim number and may even include a check that appears to be from our Company or another Coca-Cola bottler.

Subject lines for the emails have ranged from "The Coca-Cola Award Notification" to "The Coca-Cola Promo Winning Notification" to "The Coca-Cola Worldwide Christmas Promo" or other similar titles. Recent versions of the email hoax indicate a joint promotion with the British American Tobacco Company, an annual mid-year Coca-Cola promotional draw (which includes the name of former Coca-Cola executive vice president, Carl Ware), or a car giveaway in Hong Kong. The emails also include formal language that makes them look "official," and are sometimes designed to look legitimate by including images or photographs, a "secret pin code" or reference/ticket number and contact information for a Coca-Cola representative.

View samples of email hoaxes we have identified. NOTE - This sample list does not include all Coca-Cola email hoaxes in circulation. Other email hoaxes may exist and may not be included here.

Our Response:  The Coca-Cola Company is in no way associated with these emails, letters or programs. We are not a sponsor and our name and trademarks are used here without permission. We are currently investigating the situation.

This appears to be a form of fraud known as "phishing," wherein perpetrators attempt to develop relationships with victims in order to obtain personal and financial information. Common signs that a message may be a part of an email scam or phishing campaign include:

• Spelling and grammatical errors in the email;
• Improper use of company trademarks;
• Sender's use of free, non-corporate email accounts (such as Yahoo!, AOL and Hotmail);
• Requests for personal information and the promise of quick financial gain.
  

Overall, if it looks too good to be true, it probably is. Do not reply to these emails or letters with any information.

If you have already responded to this type of email or letter, we recommend that you immediately discontinue all communications with the source and contact your local and/or federal authorities for advice on how to proceed to protect your personal information and privacy.