Lottery / Prize-Win Notification Scam Script
This message claims you've won a large lottery or prize draw you never entered, whether by email, text, or letter, and asks for upfront payment described as taxes, administrative charges, notary fees, or insurance before the winnings can be released. The promise of a life-changing windfall is designed to override the obvious question of why you'd need to pay to receive money you've won. Each fee paid typically leads to a request for another, since no lottery or prize actually exists. The most important thing to remember is that legitimate prizes never require any fee upfront.
Last reviewed: 1 June 2026
Sanitized example messages
Illustrative, sanitized examples. Personal details are replaced with placeholders such as [phone number] and [fake link].
Congratulations! Your email address was randomly selected in the [company] International Lottery and you have won [amount]. To claim your prize, contact our claims agent at [email] within 7 days.
FINAL NOTICE: You have been awarded [amount] in the [name] Sweepstakes. To release your winnings, a processing fee of [amount] is required. This fee is deducted from your prize upon receipt.
Dear winner, we are pleased to inform you that your mobile number won [amount] in our quarterly draw. Reply with your full name, address, and bank details to begin the transfer.
Your prize of [amount] is ready for dispatch. A notarisation and insurance fee of [amount] must be paid before we can transfer the funds to your account. How would you like to pay?
What the scammer wants
To collect escalating 'release fees' — taxes, notary fees, insurance — that victims pay in hope of a large windfall, where neither the lottery nor the prize exists.
Red flags in the message
- You have won a lottery or prize draw you never entered
- Upfront fee required to release winnings — taxes, processing, or insurance
- Request for your bank account details to transfer the prize
- Urgency — claim within 48 or 72 hours or forfeit the prize
- Correspondence from a free email address rather than an official domain
A safe response
Ignore and delete. Legitimate lotteries deduct any taxes from the prize before payment and never ask winners to pay upfront fees. You cannot win a lottery you never entered.
What not to send
- Any upfront fee payment
- Bank account details
- Copies of your ID or passport
What to do if you already replied
- Stop paying any further fees — each new fee is another layer of the same scam
- Report to the FTC (reportfraud.ftc.gov), Action Fraud, or your national consumer protection agency
- Warn family members — lottery scam victims are often re-targeted
Evidence to preserve
- Screenshot the full message or call details
- Note the sender number, email, or profile
- Save any links (without clicking) and payment details
- Record dates and times
Frequently asked questions
I don't remember entering this lottery — could I have been entered automatically?
Legitimate lotteries and prize draws require you to actively enter, so being notified of a win you don't remember entering is itself a strong sign the message is fake. No legitimate organization runs draws using lists of people who never participated.
I've already paid one fee, and now they're asking for another — should I pay it to finally get my prize?
No — paying further fees will not produce a real prize; this is a repeating pattern designed to extract as much money as possible before you realize nothing is coming. Stop paying immediately, regardless of how close they claim you are to receiving winnings.
Can I get back the money I've already paid?
Contact your bank or payment provider to ask about disputing the transactions, though recovery depends heavily on the payment method used and how much time has passed, and outcomes vary. Report the scam to your national fraud or consumer protection agency as well.
How do I tell a real prize notification from a fake one?
Genuine prizes never require any upfront payment to be released, and legitimate organizations don't contact random people about draws they never entered. Treat any message combining a surprise win with a request for fees as a scam.