Foreign Lottery Scams in Georgia
Fake international lottery prize notifications target Georgian residents with fabricated windfalls requiring upfront fee payments to release.
Part of: Foreign Lottery Scams
Last reviewed: 1 June 2026
Foreign lottery scams continue to reach Georgian consumers through email, Facebook, and SMS. Prize notifications claim the recipient has won a large sum from a European, American, or international lottery they never entered, and require a processing fee, tax payment, or insurance bond before the funds can be transferred.
Georgia's growing digital connectivity and increasing disposable income among urban professionals make lottery-framed fraud increasingly effective. The scams are often delivered in Georgian or Russian to appear locally relevant.
How this scam works on Georgia
An email or Facebook message arrives congratulating the recipient on a large prize from the EuroMillions, UK National Lottery, or a generic 'International Sweepstakes Foundation'. Contact with the prize office results in requests for processing fees via bank transfer, Western Union, or mobile money.
Each payment is followed by a new requirement — insurance, VAT, customs — until the victim stops paying. Some operations impersonate real lottery brands with convincing documentation; others create entirely fictitious lottery names that sound plausible to recipients unfamiliar with European lotteries.
The US Green Card Lottery (Diversity Visa programme) is also frequently impersonated, with fake winners from Georgia told they must pay a fee to claim their visa — a scam targeting Georgian aspirations toward US immigration.
Common red flags
- You have won a lottery, Green Card, or prize from a programme you never entered.
- Any fee must be paid before the prize or visa can be released.
- Communication is via a free email account or personal phone number.
- The prize amount is extremely large, creating powerful emotional motivation to comply.
- Additional fees appear after each payment.
How to protect yourself
- Delete prize notifications for programmes you did not enter.
- Verify Green Card lottery results only through the official US State Department portal at dvlottery.state.gov.
- Never pay fees to receive any lottery prize or immigration benefit.
- Warn family and friends who may be targeted by similar messages.
- Report to Georgian Police if any payment has been made.
How to report it
- Report to the Georgian Police cybercrime unit.
- For Green Card impersonations, report to the US Embassy in Tbilisi.
- Contact your bank if any payment has been made.
Frequently asked questions
How do I verify a genuine US Green Card Lottery result?
Check only at the official US State Department portal: dvlottery.state.gov. The US government never charges fees to check results or to process a Diversity Visa selection. Any fee request is fraudulent.