Lottery scam

Lottery scams inform victims — by letter, email, text, or phone — that they have won a large prize in a lottery, competition, or sweepstake. The catch is always the same: before winnings can be released, the recipient must pay taxes, processing fees, insurance, or customs charges. Each payment leads to another.

You cannot win a lottery you did not enter. This is the core litmus test. Scam lottery notifications often bear well-known brand names (Coca-Cola, Microsoft, Euromillions) to add false credibility, but these organisations are in no way affiliated.

Personal information collected on the pretext of processing the claim — passport scans, bank account details — is used for identity theft. This scam disproportionately affects older adults who receive physical letters, which carry an air of legitimacy.