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Scam shield: lottery and prize frauds in India

Fraudsters borrow the language of lotteries because it works: excitement makes people skip checks. These are the nine scams we see most, how each one works, and the one detail that gives it away.

Check a message nowAlready paid? Act now

The nine scams

1. The “KBC ₹25 lakh lottery” on WhatsApp

A voice note, a fake ticket image or a forwarded certificate says your number won a lucky draw linked to a famous TV quiz show or to WhatsApp itself. A “manager” then asks for a registration fee, then tax, then a transfer charge. The tell: neither the show nor WhatsApp runs lotteries, and you never entered one.

2. “Pay GST to release your prize”

You are told a prize is waiting but tax or “clearance charges” must be paid first. The tell: cash-prize tax is deducted before payment, never collected from you by a stranger into a personal account.

3. Kerala lottery tickets “online”

Websites, apps and WhatsApp sellers offer Kerala tickets, especially in bumper season. The tell: Kerala tickets are sold only on paper through authorised agents in Kerala.

4. Matka “fix number” and “leak game” sellers

Telegram and WhatsApp channels promise a guaranteed number for a fee. The tell: a random result cannot be known in advance, and the seller is promoting an illegal game while taking your money.

5. Foreign lottery and email wins

An email says you’ve won a UK, US or “international” lottery or a big-tech company draw. The tell: you can’t win a foreign lottery without buying a ticket, and buying one from India through these offers is itself a trap.

6. Fake shopping-app lucky draws

A spin-the-wheel page copies a shopping brand and “awards” a phone or car, then asks for a delivery or insurance fee. The tell: the web address isn’t the brand’s real domain.

7. “Scan this QR code to receive your prize”

The tell: scanning a QR code and entering your UPI PIN sends money. You never need a PIN to receive.

8. The “prize officer” on a video call

Uniforms, logos and fake ID cards on a video call make the story feel official. The tell: real officials don’t call winners, and never by WhatsApp video.

9. Recovery scams

After you lose money, someone offers to get it back for a fee — often posing as a lawyer, police officer or “cyber cell”. The tell: genuine complaints through 1930 and cybercrime.gov.in are free.

Red flags in any prize message

  • You must pay anything — fees, tax, insurance, courier, customs — to get a prize.
  • They ask for an OTP, PIN, CVV, card number, Aadhaar or PAN photos.
  • A big brand or government name, but a personal mobile, a foreign number or a free email address.
  • Pressure: “within 24 hours”, “today only”, “don’t tell anyone”.
  • Payment by UPI to an individual, gift cards or crypto.
  • A cheque or screenshot followed by “please send back the extra amount”.

If you already paid: the first hour

  1. Stop. Don’t pay “one last fee” to unlock a refund — it doesn’t exist.
  2. Call 1930, the national cyber-fraud helpline. Quick reports give banks the best chance of freezing the money.
  3. File a complaint at cybercrime.gov.in with screenshots, phone numbers, UPI IDs and transaction references.
  4. Call your bank, block cards and UPI, and change passwords you may have shared.
  5. Keep every message. Don’t delete the chat, even if you block the number.

If you haven’t lost money but received a suspicious call or message, report it through Chakshu on the Sanchar Saathi portal so the number can be investigated. Chakshu is not for money already lost — use 1930 for that.

Protect your family

Older parents and first-time smartphone users are targeted most. Share this page, save 1930 in their contacts, and agree a family rule: nobody pays anyone for a prize without a call to someone at home first.

Watch

YouTube, Hindi.

YouTube, Hindi.

Sources