I think just about everyone at REGIONAL received this message this morning:

From: guido13@web.de
To: winners@btlottery.com
Sent: Monday, February 07, 2011 4:42 AM
Subject: Confirmed Today And Must Be Claimed Immediately

BRITISH TELECOMS PROMOTION DEPARTMENT.
The sum of $1 Million USD has been awarded to you by the BRITISH TELECOMS LOTTERY, Fill the form below for more details and E-MAIL: TO (units291@gmail.com),

1. YOUR FULL NAME:
2. YOUR FULL ADDRESS:
3. YOUR MOBILE PHONE NUMBER:
4. YOUR AGE:
5. CURRENT OCCUPATION:

Yours Faithfully,
BRITISH TELECOMS PROMOTION DEPARTMENT.

Interesting.

Actually, it’s really not. It’s such a hackneyed format for a lottery scam email, there’s almost nothing to say about it.

The history of British Telecom, now known as BT Group, is much more interesting than this scam. Did you know they’re the world’s oldest telecommunications company? They emerged from an amalgamation of 19th Century telegraph companies in the United Kingdom, including the Electric Telegraph Company, the world’s first.

They also, in no way, shape or form, are in the business of running lotteries, or sending out million dollar prizes to random people. Being British, I’d guess they’re not in the habit of trafficking in U.S. Dollars much to begin with. Even if they were, I’m guessing they’d use “BT Group” in their messages, instead of “British Telecoms,” an incorrect pluralization of a corporate identity they haven’t used since 1991. They also would probably not use Gmail or United Internet AG (web.de) email accounts, seeing as how BT Group is itself an Internet service provider.

Dear fraud perpetrators: be more interesting next time.