Lottery & Prize Scams

Unsolicited notices claiming you have won a foreign lottery you never entered — with fees required to release the prize.

Fake congratulatory messages claiming you have won a prize, used to harvest personal details or extract upfront fees.

Fake sweepstakes notifications demanding processing fees, taxes, or charges before delivering a prize that never arrives.

Fraudulent competitions designed to harvest personal data, charge entry fees, or deliver worthless prizes instead of the advertised ones.

Fake giveaways promoted on social platforms to collect personal information, extract fees, or push victims to phishing sites.

Fake inheritance or estate-claim notices combined with lottery fraud elements, demanding fees to release large sums.

Fraudulent mystery shopper job offers that use a prize or lottery element to justify sending fake cheques or requesting advance payments.

Fraudulent raffles that collect ticket sales without conducting a fair draw, delivering no prize to any genuine participant.

Fake prize mailers styled as publisher prize draws that demand purchase orders or fees to secure a non-existent grand prize.

Fake lottery winner announcements on social platforms that contact users directly to extract fees or personal details under the pretence of prize delivery.

Fraudulent messages claiming you have won a premium bond prize, used to collect personal details or advance fees under a government-institution pretext.

Fraudulent second-chance draw promotions that collect non-winning ticket numbers and personal details to charge fees or commit identity fraud.

Unsolicited phone calls claiming you have won a prize, used to extract fees, personal information, or payment card details over the phone.

Fraudulent SMS and messaging app notifications claiming you have won a raffle, used to harvest personal data or extract fees via links.

Notifications claiming you have won an overseas sweepstakes entry you never submitted, with escalating fees required to release a prize that does not exist.

Scammers inform you that a prize or cash reward is waiting but require an upfront processing, admin, or tax payment before it can be released.

Fraudulent charity raffles and prize draws that collect ticket payments without running a real draw, donating to charity, or awarding prizes.

Fraudulent prize draws that use charitable branding to sell tickets but never run a genuine draw and keep all proceeds without donating anything.

Competitions that require entry via premium-rate phone numbers, texts, or websites — charging far more per entry than disclosed and generating revenue with no genuine prize.

Fraudsters create fake accounts impersonating celebrities, brands, or influencers to run fake giveaways that harvest personal data, cryptocurrency, or upfront fees.