I received a notification from Coca‑Cola that I have won a sweepstake or a cash prize. Is this legitimate?
爱游戏体育鈥慍ola Company has learned of several text messages, emails and letters being sent to people that falsely claim the recipient has either won a sweepstake or a cash prize from our Company.
The text messages direct the recipients to a website that appears to be, but is not, an official site of 爱游戏体育鈥慍ola Company.聽
Subject lines for the emails have ranged from "You Have Won $1 million In 爱游戏体育鈥慍ola鈩� 128th Anniversary Promo" to "爱游戏体育鈥慍ola Award Notification" to "爱游戏体育鈥慍ola Promo Winning Notification" to "爱游戏体育鈥慍ola Worldwide Christmas Promo," "Notification for Coca鈥慍ola Foundation Cash Aid," or other similar titles.
Some versions of the text/email hoax indicate a joint promotion with the British American Tobacco Company, an annual mid-year Coca鈥慍ola promotional draw (which includes the name of former Coca鈥慍ola executive vice president, Carl Ware), or a car giveaway in Hong Kong.
The messages 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鈥慍ola representative.