What does lottery fraud offer?
You are told that you have won a large amount of
money on an overseas or online lottery. Spanish, Canadian
and Australian lotteries are among the most common.
How does lottery frauds work?
You receive an official looking email or letter advising you
that you have won a large sum of money in a
lottery. The letter provides a phone number and/or return email
address. To process the payment of your winnings, it asks you to
contact someone who claims to be an official at the lottery
company. The letter warns you to keep your good luck a secret and
tells you that if you do not respond within a short period, your
right to claim your winnings will lapse.
The lottery doesn’t exist or you have been
contacted by fraudsters misusing the name of a genuine lottery.
Either way, there is no prize money for you to win.
If you respond to the letter, you will be asked to
supply personal information and copies of official
documents, such as your passport, as proof of identity. The
fraudsters can then use this information to steal your
identity.
Once you have provided your personal information, the fraudsters
will ask you to pay various
fees - for example: taxes, legal fees,
banking fees etc. - so that they can release your non-existent
winnings.
Each time you make a payment, the fraudsters will come up with a
reason why your winnings can’t be paid out unless you make
another payment. They will also give you reasons
why the fees cannot be taken out of your winnings and have to be
paid upfront.
The fraudsters may also ask for your bank details so that they
can pay your winnings directly into your bank account. But if you
hand over your bank details, the fraudsters will use them to empty
your account.
How can I recognise a lottery fraud?
- Official lotteries in other countries operate in much the same
way as the UK’s National Lotto. You choose a set of numbers, buy a
ticket and match the numbers drawn against those you have chosen.
If you match enough numbers to qualify for a win, you have to
contact the lottery operator to claim your prize. We are
unaware of any genuine lottery operator that contacts
winners to advise them of their win. If somebody contacts
you to tell you that you have won a lottery you did not enter in
the first place, it is very likely that you have encountered
fraudsters
- We are not aware of any genuine lottery operators that
ask you to pay any fees to collect your winnings.
Any request for a fee payment is a good indication that someone is
trying to defraud you
- Genuine lotteries thrive on publicity. Any win notification
that asks you to keep your win a secret is highly
likely to be a fraud
- Many lottery fraud letters and emails are badly
written. Look out for spelling mistakes and poor
grammar
- The fraud email/letter has to provide an email
address and/or phone number for you to respond to. Look
out for suspicious email addresses and phone numbers. Fraudsters
generally use webmail addresses, such as @Hotmail and @Yahoo; and
mobile or platform telephone numbers, such as numbers beginning
with 07. A genuine lottery operator will not do this.
What should I do?
- If you have responded to the email/letter, break off
all contact with the fraudsters immediately
- If you have given the fraudsters your bank account details,
alert your bank immediately
- Be aware that you are now likely to be a target for
other frauds. Fraudsters often share details about people
they have successfully targeted or approached, using different
identities to commit further frauds
- People who have already fallen victim to fraudsters are
particularly vulnerable to the fraud recovery
fraud. This is when fraudsters contact people who have
already lost money through fraud and claim to be law enforcement
officers or lawyers. They advise the victim that they can help them
recover their lost money - but request a fee. See Fraud recovery fraud for
further details.