Lately, internet users have been getting various emails saying they have apparently won a lottery organised by airline companies such as AirAsia and Firefly.

In the email, recipients are told that they have won the “2013 AirAsia High 5 Special Bonus” and “September 2013 Firefly’s Big Apple Birthday Promotion Programme” in which RM300,000 and USD110,000 (RM355,710,000) in cash have been approved to be given to the winners who have received the email.

In the two “contests” the correspondent address of AirAsia and FireFly stated that both “operated” from Kota Kinabalu International Airport and Penang Airport.

Bukit Aman Commercial Crimes Investigation Department (CCID) director Datuk Syed Ismail Syed Azizan advised internet users not to easily believe the emails which is deemed as “too good to be true.”

“This is an online crime or also known as phishing scam in which they (the victims) need to provide their personal details during the banking transcations at the bank. We are still investigating on those involved in such syndicates,” he said.

According to him, there are similar syndicates overseas using the same tactics.

In a written statement to Astro AWANI, AirAsia said that it has never organised any programmes or contests in the form of a lottery and those who received the email are asked to discard it as it is a scam.

The AirAsia spokesman said that they are working with the authorities to tackle the issue as the activities conducted by the scammers are jeopardizing their reputation.