Vista - A scam making use of the Microsoft name?

I just received this from < link removed by Dwarf > Someone using a hotmail account to announce a Microsoft Promotion does raise an eyebrow:

Microsoft Promotion Award Team
40 Ryecroft Way Stopsley
London,
United Kingdom.
FILE REF: HL/5564/12/08/MICS
BATCH: MC11/834/5PDH /EU

MICROSOFT WINNING NOTIFICATION.

We wish to congratulate you for being part of our winners selected this month. This promotion was set-up to encourage the active users of the Internet Microsoft Windows.
Hence we do believe with your winning prize, you will continue to be active and patronage to the Microsoft Windows. We wish to formally announce to you that you have successfully passed the requirements, statutory obligations, verifications, validations and satisfactory report Test conducted for all on line winners.

A winning cheque will be issued in your name by Microsoft Corporation board, You have therefore won the entire sum of ?350,000,00 {Three Hundred And Fifty housand Great British Pounds} and also a certificate of prize claims will be sent along side your winnings cheque.

Rev.Prince David
Microsoft Promotion Award Team
Email : < link removed by Dwarf >
You are advised to contact your Foreign Transfer Manager with the following details to avoid unnecessary delay and complications:

We write to officially notify you of this award and to advise you to contact the processing office immediately upon receipt of this message for more information concerning the verification, processing and eventual payment of the above prize to you.
It is important to note that your award information was released with the following particulars attached to it.

(1) Award numbers: NL 56/7766
(2) Email ticket numbers: EAASL-130877
(3) Batch numbers: MC11/834/8PDH /EU
(4) The file reference numbers: HL/5574/41/07/MICS
{5} Serial Numbers: McST/006/NL46560

VERIFICATION AND FUNDS RELEASE FORM.

(1) Your contact address.
(2) Your Tel/Fax numbers.
(3) Your Nationality/Country.
(4) Your Full Names.
(5) Occupation/Age.
(6) Your Preferred Method Of Receiving Your Prize(From Below)
Mode Of Prize Remittance.

(1) Cash Pick-Up (You coming Down to United Kingdom Personally to Pick Your Prize).

(2) Courier Delivery Of your Certified Winning Cheque Name and other Winning Documents safely to you.

The Microsoft Windows lottery has discovered a huge number of double claims due to winners informing close friends relatives and third parties about their winning and also sharing their pin numbers. As a result of this, these friends try to claim the lottery on behalf of the real winners. The Microsoft lottery has reached a decision from headquarters that any double claim discovered by the Lottery Board will result to the canceling of that particular winning, making a loss for both the double claimer and the real winner, as it is taken that the real winner was the informer to the double claimer about the lottery. So you are hereby strongly advised once more to keep your winnings strictly confidential until you claim your prize.

Congratulations from the Staffs & Members of the Interactive Lotteries Board Commission.

Sincerely,
Rev.Prince David
Microsoft Promotion Award Team

Yes, of course that's a scam.

Should this be reported to Microsoft, or maybe they already know about it.

This is a SCAM.

I guarantee it is a scam. I received the exact same letter.

They already know about it, google it.

These people think they can get away by using a hotmail account. Maybe we can fixed them together with Microsoft by pretending to fall into the trap, hehehe.

See this thread: has anyone of this is it liget
Also, have a look here: Microsoft Promotion Award Team | Lottery Scams
Notice that BOTH addresses are mentioned.

I wonder whether Microsoft is going to keep quiet or are they trying to take some action as a community service. Obviously, this scam doesn't hurt them a single bit. If anything, it gives them added publicity.

These also fall into the phishing category, as they use social engineering/manipulation techniques to gain further information from you:
They already have your e-mail address (either chosen at random or from details found on forums and other websites). All they want now is some data to link that address to an actual person, and this is what the above quote shows. DO NOT under any circumstances reply to any e-mails that ask for this information, especially if they also want your bank details (I suspect that if you fill in this information as requested by the scammer, you could well get another e-mail asking for those details).
This is why I strongly recommend EVERYBODY to read the following post, and to take note of what it says: http://www.vistax64.com/general-disc...formation.html
Unfortunately, if you do put your e-mail address on a post it may be too late. By the time it has been spotted and removed (or if you subsequently realise and remove it after sending your post), then the chances are that it might already have been spotted by the scammers.