XBox Giveaway Hoax

Summary:
Email claims that the recipient has won an XBox game console and 5 games (Full commentary below).

Status:
False

Updated May 2004 (see second example below):

Example:(Received vie email, 2003)

Greetings,

Your email address was entered into our November Microsoft X-Box promotional competition by either yourself or a friend, or perhaps a family member, at http://www.prize-giveaway.com

This is a prize draw, you have actually won a brand new Microsoft X-Box Gaming Console!

Your package also includes these top 5 games:

- Halo
- Metal Gear Solid 2
- Max Payne
- Splinter Cell
- Panzer Dragoon Orta
You are now invited to login to our website and claim your prize that you have already won. There are only 9 winners in total this month, out of thousands of emails, so do count yourself lucky!
We have provided the following web link for you, it is temporary and expires in 72 hours. If you do not login within this time, your winning shall unfortunately be returned to the prize pool.
Here is your link!
(LINK REMOVED)

On this page you will need to enter this pass code number to proceed: (Code Removed)

This is very important. Do not lose that number! Put in your address, and we will send your X-Box to you.

We hope that you will enjoy your new X-Box gaming console.

Congratulations on winning,

From Microsoft and the Prize-Giveaway.com team!

Commentary:
This hoax email claims the recipient is the winner of an XBox game console. The email has a link to a website where the "winner" is asked for debit card details to cover postage and handling of the prize.

Microsoft has stated that they have nothing to do with the supposed giveaway and have denounced it as a hoax. Similar hoax emails were distributed earlier in the year.

This may be a crude attempt to scam recipients out of a few dollars in the form of "postage and handling" fees on a "prize" that will never arrive.

In any case, there is no free XBox system and the email should be ignored.

Update:
A new version of the hoax was submitted by a site visitor in May 2004. This is the same hoax with a few minor details altered.

Greetings,

Your email address was entered into our Microsoft X-Box promotional competition by either yourself or a friend, or perhaps a family member, at http://www.pikoprizo.com

This is a prize draw, you have actually won a brand new Microsoft X-Box Gaming Console!

Your package also includes these top 5 games:
- Halo
- Metal Gear Solid 2
- Max Paynebr
- Splinter Cellbr
- Panzer Dragoon Orta
You are now invited to login to our website and claim your prize that you have already won.

There are only 5 winners in total this month, out of thousands of emails, so do count yourself lucky!

We have provided the following web link for you, it is temporary and expires in 72 hours.

If you do not login within this time, your winning shall unfortunately be returned to the prize pool.
Here is your link!
http://www.pikoprizo.com/cgi-bin/script.cgi?code=NSC3498349349&winner=xxxx @xxx.com&ref=JDL2384938493493 On this page you will need to enter this pass code number to proceed:

209581

This is very important. Do not lose that number!
Put in your address, and we will send your X-Box to you.
We hope that you will enjoy your new X-Box gaming console.
Congratulations on winning,
From Microsoft and the PikoPrizo.com team!

Write-up by Brett M.Christensen