Foreign Lottery Scams in Ethiopia
How fake foreign lottery notifications target Ethiopians and the diaspora with prize claims requiring upfront fees.
Part of: Foreign Lottery Scams
Last reviewed: 1 June 2026
Foreign lottery scams reach Ethiopians via email, SMS, and Telegram, claiming they have won prizes in overseas draws — UK, US, or European lotteries — they never entered. The prize is always conditional on paying fees for taxes, legal clearance, or courier charges. The fees are the scam; no prize exists.
Ethiopia's large English-speaking educated population and its diaspora make English-language lottery scams accessible and the international prize narrative plausible.
How this scam works on Ethiopia
An Ethiopian receives an email or message announcing a lottery win with a prize certificate attached. A contact person instructs them to pay a processing fee to release the winnings. After each payment, a new requirement emerges. Some scammers create convincing fake lottery websites with near-identical domain names to real lotteries.
Common red flags
- Prize notification from a lottery never entered
- Fee required before the prize can be collected
- Contact details do not match the official lottery organisation
- Urgency — prize forfeited unless fees paid immediately
- Request for personal ID or bank details
How to protect yourself
- You cannot win a lottery you never entered — all such messages are fraudulent
- Legitimate lotteries deduct taxes from winnings rather than requiring separate upfront payments
- Verify any claimed lottery independently through the official website
- Do not provide personal details or payments in response
How to report it
- Report to the Ethiopian Federal Police Commission with all evidence
- Alert the named lottery's official fraud reporting channel
- Report to your mobile carrier or Telebirr if the contact arrived via messaging
Frequently asked questions
The message is in Amharic and references an Ethiopian community lottery abroad — is that more believable?
No — using Amharic or referencing community-specific details is simply a localisation tactic to make a mass-produced scam feel personally relevant. The core test remains the same: you cannot win a lottery you never entered, regardless of the language or community framing used.
Can I verify a claimed prize by calling the phone number given in the message?
No — call using a number you find independently through an official search, not the number provided in the message, since that number is controlled by the scammer and will simply confirm whatever story they're running. Independent verification is the only reliable check.
What if the sender offers to waive the fee if I refer other people?
This is a manipulation tactic to expand the scam's reach by turning you into an unwitting recruiter, not a genuine discount. Don't refer anyone, and don't pay any fee regardless of what's offered in exchange — there is no legitimate version of this transaction.
Do lottery scam messages in Ethiopia target diaspora members specifically?
Yes — diaspora members are sometimes targeted with lottery scam messages referencing the country in which they reside rather than Ethiopia, making the prize story locally plausible. The mechanics are identical regardless of which country's lottery is named. A prize you did not enter a lottery to win is always fraudulent.