International Sweepstakes Advance Fee Scams via Phone Calls
How phone calls impersonating foreign lottery commissions and international prize authorities extract escalating advance fees from targets told they have won international sweepstakes.
Part of: International Sweepstakes Advance-Fee Scam
Last reviewed: 9 June 2026
Phone-based international sweepstakes advance fee scams are among the most financially devastating prize fraud types because they combine the real-time pressure of a live call with the escalating commitment trap of advance fee fraud. Victims who engage can be guided through multiple fee payments over days or weeks — each positioned as the final requirement before a large prize is released.
The foreign dimension of the scam adds complexity that discourages the quick independent verification that domestic prize claims might invite. A caller claiming to represent the European Lottery Commission or an International Prize Authority creates a sense of legitimacy through authority and geographic distance — the target may not know enough about foreign lottery institutions to immediately challenge the claim.
Repeat victims — people who have previously paid fees in other advance fee frauds — are often specifically targeted using purchased lists, because they have demonstrated both susceptibility and financial capacity.
How this scam works on phone calls
A call arrives from someone claiming to be an official of a foreign lottery organisation, a multinational corporation's prize division, or an international government authority. They explain that the target's phone number or email address was entered in a promotional database and selected as a winner of a substantial prize.
The caller walks the target through a claim process over multiple calls: each conversation confirms the prize is real but identifies a new administrative requirement — a tax clearance, a customs bond, a legal certification, a currency conversion fee. Amounts requested are modest relative to the stated prize value, making each payment feel like a sensible investment.
All calls are from the same or rotating fraud operation. The prize does not exist. No international authority is involved.
Common red flags
- Call from a foreign lottery or international prize authority about a prize you did not enter
- Caller requests a fee payment to clear tax, customs, or legal requirements before prize release
- Each fee payment leads to discovery of a new requirement and further fee
- Organisation name sounds official but cannot be independently verified through published international directories
- Caller creates urgency: prize claim window is closing, processing must begin today
- Payment requested via wire transfer, gift card, or cryptocurrency rather than through a verified official portal
How to protect yourself
- Understand that no legitimate lottery or sweepstakes charges winners to receive their prize
- Tax and customs obligations on prizes are settled with your own national tax authority, not prepaid to foreign agents
- Hang up and independently research the named organisation before engaging with any follow-up calls
- Do not continue engaging after the first fee request — each subsequent payment compounds the loss
- Tell a trusted person about the calls before taking any action
How to report it
- Report to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov
- File a report with IC3 at ic3.gov
- Report to Action Fraud at actionfraud.police.uk (UK) or your national fraud reporting authority
Frequently asked questions
I've already paid several fees over multiple calls — should I pay one more to finally get the prize?
No. Each fee payment in this type of scam is followed by a new requirement, and there is no point at which a genuine prize is released — continuing to pay only increases your total loss. Stop all payments immediately and report what has already happened.
How do I actually handle any real tax owed if I win a genuine prize or lottery?
Tax on genuine winnings is settled directly with your own national tax authority as part of your normal tax filing, not prepaid in advance to an unknown caller or foreign agent before you receive the prize. Any request to pre-pay tax to a third party before receiving winnings is not how legitimate tax obligations work.
Is there any way to recover money already sent by wire transfer or gift card to these callers?
Recovery is very unlikely once funds have been wired internationally or gift card codes have been shared, though you should still report the transaction details to your bank, the gift card issuer, and IC3, since this information can sometimes assist broader investigations even if it does not return your specific funds.
Can a foreign lottery organisation call me about a prize?
No. Legitimate lotteries only award prizes to people who entered. No international lottery or prize authority awards prizes to people who did not purchase a ticket or enter a promotion, and none charge winners to receive their prize over the phone.