Lottery scam alert
If somebody tells you that you have won and asks you to pay anything at all, it is fraud. Every time. No exceptions, whatever they say their office is called and whatever documents they send you.
Four things that are always true
- No Directorate calls or messages a winner. The Kerala, Nagaland and Sikkim State Lottery Directorates publish a result sheet and wait for the ticket to be brought in. They do not telephone, they do not send WhatsApp messages, they do not email, and they do not contact you on Facebook, Instagram or Telegram. Nobody has your number because a ticket carries no name.
- No ticket can lawfully be sold to you over the internet. State lotteries are paper lotteries sold in person by licensed agents. Online money games and their advertising are prohibited. Any website or app selling a ticket, an entry or a share in a draw is not authorised, however professional it looks.
- You never pay to receive a prize. No fee, no tax payment, no processing charge, no courier charge, no clearance certificate, no lawyer, no refundable deposit. Tax on a prize is deducted from the prize by the paying office. Money never travels towards the lottery.
- The official result sheet is the only proof. A screenshot, a PDF sent to you, a message with your name in it, a certificate with a seal on it and a page on any website are all things that can be made in five minutes. Read the signed PDF or the Government Gazette notification for the draw yourself.
What the messages look like
- A WhatsApp message saying your number was selected in a lucky draw you never entered. A draw you did not buy a ticket for cannot pay you.
- A forwarded PDF or image showing your name beside a large amount, with an officer to call.
- A caller who knows a little about you and uses it to sound official. Names, numbers and even office addresses are easy to copy.
- A Telegram or YouTube account using a Directorate name or the Dear or Lottery Sambad brand, offering results early or offering to sell tickets.
- An agent asking you to hand over the ticket and wait for the money later. Never let the ticket out of your hands until you are at the paying office.
- Anyone asking for an OTP, a UPI PIN, a card number or a bank login.
What to do
- Send no money. Not a rupee, not as a test, not to be refunded later.
- Share no OTP, no PIN, no card details, no bank details, no Aadhaar or PAN copy. A real claim happens in person at an office with the ticket in your hand.
- Do not tap links and do not install any app they send you.
- Stop replying, take screenshots, then block the number or account.
- Check the result yourself against the official PDF or the Gazette. If you did not buy a ticket, there is nothing to check.
- Tell an older relative or a neighbour. These messages are aimed at people alone.
How to report it
National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal: cybercrime.gov.in. Report the message, the number and any account you were asked to pay into.
Cyber crime helpline: 1930. If you have already sent money, call immediately. Reporting a fraudulent transfer within the first hours gives the best chance of the money being frozen.
You can also file a complaint at your local police station. Take the screenshots, the transaction reference and the phone number with you.
LottoAaj never contacts a winner. We do not know who buys tickets, we sell nothing, and we ask nobody for money. Any message claiming to be from us and asking for a payment is not from us. Tell us at [email protected] if you receive one.