WIESBADEN, Germany, October 28 /PRNewswire/ --

- New research shows one in 44 internet users have lost money to internet 
fraud in the past 12 months.

Microsoft Corp, Yahoo! Inc, Western Union and the African Development
Bank today announced the formation of a coalition to raise global awareness
among consumers of the threat posed by lottery hoax e-mails. Through this
collaborative effort, the coalition members will educate internet users so
they are better able to protect themselves against fraudulent activities
online.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000822/MSFTLOGO)

Internet lottery scams are a common form of advance fee fraud, a crime in
which the victim is deceived into paying money upfront to receive a
fictitious gift or cash prize. Law enforcement officials have expressed
concern that scammers will step up their activity to take advantage of people
concerned with or affected by the global economic downturn.

Speaking at the 6th German Anti Spam Summit, Tim Cranton, associate
general counsel for Worldwide Internet Safety Programs at Microsoft, said,
"This online threat differs from those that try to exploit software code or
attack computers. Lottery scammers prey not on software, but on the hope of
their victims -- and with scams that can be so creative and plausible,
internet users simply don't know whom they can believe. Microsoft is
announcing this coalition with the African Development Bank, Western Union
and Yahoo! today with the goal of helping to better ensure end-to-end trust
in the internet for everyone."

"As one of the world's largest web mail providers, reaching hundreds of
millions of internet users, we realize that Yahoo! is in a unique position to
help educate consumers about dangerous scams online, and we have a special
responsibility to help provide a safe online experience," said George
Hadjigeorgiou, general manager of communication and community products,
Yahoo! Europe. "At Yahoo!, we've long told our users that if it sounds 'too
good to be true,' it probably is. But as internet fraudsters continue to get
more creative in their approaches, consumers continue to be deceived. This
unique initiative is a continuation of our online safety and trust
initiatives and is intended to help support our consumer awareness efforts."

The announcement of the internet lottery scam coalition coincides with
the release of independent research commissioned by Microsoft into consumer
experiences of lottery scams in Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the
Netherlands, Spain and the UK. Of 4,930 people interviewed, 113 people, or
one in 44, said they had lost money to an internet fraudster in the last 12
months, with individual losses ranging from less than 100 euros to more than
7,000 euros.

The research also shows that the following:

-- Of internet users surveyed, 27 per cent thought it likely they would
become a victim of an internet lottery scam that would cost them money.

-- More than half (51 per cent) said that lottery scam e-mails made them
more reluctant to buy goods from the internet.

-- As a result of internet scams 36 per cent said they were more
reluctant to use the internet.

"It's a common perception that only naive and extremely gullible people
fall victim to lottery scams. However, it can happen to anyone, especially
those who are experiencing financial pressure," said Christopher Fischer,
senior counsel EMEASA, Western Union Financial Services. "Our goal is to help
consumers protect themselves by helping them understand how our service
operates and how internet lottery scams work. For example, we advise all
consumers never to send money to a stranger using cash-to-cash money transfer
services. Evidence shows that consumers themselves are the first, last and
best line of defence against fraud. Consumers that are educated,
well-informed and sceptical are better able to protect themselves and their
hard-earned money."

Lottery scammers often misappropriate or misrepresent established and
credible brands to add authenticity to their hoaxes. The huge volume of
e-mails they send coupled with the fact that their use of the internet
enables them to transcend national borders makes it hard to understand the
true scope and range of their activities.

To address this, victims of lottery scams that involve any of the
coalition companies' brands or services can report their experience to their
local police authority. Interpol will communicate with national law
enforcement agencies to inform them of the initiative and provide guidance on
critical information to collect.

Victims will be invited to send a copy of the police crime report to the
relevant coalition company member. Each company can then apply its own
in-house investigative expertise in an effort to identify trends and
common patterns, such as multiple scams emanating from the same geographic
region.

"All four companies share a common interest in addressing cybercrime and
online scams," said William Godbout, chief security officer at African
Development Bank. "There has been an exponential increase in the volume of
online criminal activity using our trademark. Although there is no financial
loss to the bank, these crimes impact our reputation and image. The
reputation of African banking, of African development institutions and of the
African continent in general are significantly jeopardized by the explosion
in cybercrime falsely using African entities. With the assistance of our
partners, in conjunction with both international authorities and local
African law enforcement organizations, we will prosecute this criminal
activity to the greatest extent possible."

Victims of lottery scams can report cases by sending their police crime
reports to the following dedicated and security-enhanced addresses:

-- African Development Bank
       security@afdb.org or
       African Development Bank
       Security Unit
       BP 323 1002
       Tunis Belvedere,
       Tunisia

    -- Microsoft
       lotfraud@microsoft.com or
       Report Lottery Fraud
       Microsoft Corp
       One Microsoft Way
       Redmond, WA 98052-6399
       USA

    -- Western Union
       spoof@westernunion.com
       To learn more from Western Union about consumer protection:
       http://www.westernunion.com

    -- Yahoo!
       http://antispam.yahoo.com/phishingtips



About African Development Bank

The African Development Bank is Africa's premier development finance
institution dedicated to combating poverty and improving the lives of people
of the continent and engaged in the task of mobilizing resources for the
economic and social development of its Regional Member Countries.

The Bank Group's primary objective is to promote sustainable growth to
reduce poverty by financing projects and programmes in the RMCs through
loans, equity investments and technical assistance.

About Western Union

The Western Union Company (NYSE: WU) is a leader in global money transfer
services. Together with its affiliates, Orlandi Valuta and Vigo, Western
Union provides consumers with fast, reliable and convenient ways to send and
receive money around the world, as well as send payments and purchase money
orders. It operates through a network of more than 365,000 Agent locations in
over 200 countries and territories. Famous for its pioneering telegraph
services, the original Western Union dates back to 1851. For more
information, visit http://www.westernunion.com.

About Yahoo!

Yahoo! Inc. is a leading global Internet brand and one of the most
trafficked Internet destinations worldwide. Yahoo! is focused on powering its
communities of users, advertisers, publishers, and developers by creating
indispensable experiences built on trust. Yahoo! Inc. is headquartered in
Sunnyvale, California. For more information, visit pressroom.yahoo.com or the
company's blog, Yodel Anecdotal.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) is the worldwide leader in
software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realise
their full potential.

About Microsoft EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa)

Microsoft has operated in EMEA since 1982. In the region Microsoft
employs more than 16,000 people in over 64 subsidiaries, delivering products
and services in more than 139 countries and territories.

This material is for informational purposes only. The coalition members
disclaim all warranties and conditions with regard to use of the material for
other purposes. No coalition member shall, at any time, be liable for any
special, direct, indirect or consequential damages, whether in an action of
contract, negligence or other action arising out of or in connection with the
use or performance of the material. Nothing herein should be construed as
constituting any kind of warranty.

Web site: http://www.microsoft.com