Lottery scams

Lottery scams are designed to convince you that you have won a huge prize that does not exist.

How it works

The fraudster will contact you—by post or email—and claim you have been allocated winning numbers.

If you contact the fraudster, you will be asked to send a "fee" to cover administration costs before your winnings are released. You may be asked to give details about your identity. The winnings do not exist, and your identity may be stolen.

To convince you, reference is made to recognised lotteries, such as

• the UK National Lottery,
• European or International Lottery,
• Canadian Lottery,
• Toyota or BMW Lottery,
• Royal Heritage Mega Jackpot Lottery, or
• Yahoo/MSN Lottery Incorporation.

In some cases, names of law firms are used to make the claim more credible. The firms may be genuine law firms, unaware that their names are being used.

The scams will suggest you have won, even if you have not entered a competition. The fraudster may send you a foreign cheque to convince you of your win. Your own bank is likely to accept it. Under the impression you have banked your winnings, you will be asked to send fees to the fraudster—to cover taxes, for example. You will then discover that the cheque is not genuine and that it will not be honoured at its destination overseas.

Learn more by reading examples (PDF 27K) of lottery scams.

What you should do

Remember, "You can't win it if you're not in it".

If you believe you are a victim of a lottery scam, report it to your local police.

If you believe a person or firm regulated by us is involved, contact us immediately (by emailing or writing to our Fraud and Confidential Intelligence Bureau).