EuroMillions Lottery Scams

Learn how to identify EuroMillions lottery scams, the different types of scam you might come across, and what to do if you are targeted. Unfortunately, there are a large number of fraudsters who use lotteries as a cover to try and trick their victims into giving away money.

There are different ways that lottery fraud can work. Most commonly, it is an email, letter or phone call from someone pretending to represent an official lottery company. It could also be a scam text. They often use famous brand names or grand terms to make it sound more legitimate, such as the EuroMilllions Commonwealth of Nations Lottery, the EuroMillions World Lottery, or the Google Online Sweepstakes. None of these exist.

The scammers may say you are a winner, perhaps quoting the winning numbers from an actual draw or instead suggesting that your mobile number or email address has been randomly selected to receive a prize.

The aim here is to get you so excited by the thought of winning that you stop thinking clearly and agree to their requests - either to send a processing fee or taxes in order to claim your fictitious prize, or for you to provide personal information. If they successfully exploit you with such schemes, they may use your information for identity theft or steal significant sums of money.

How to Identify a EuroMillions Lottery Scam

If your suspicions are raised by a phone call, letter, SMS message or email you have received, here are some tips to help you spot a scam. It’s a con if…

You didn’t buy a ticket for the draw in question

• You are only eligible to win prizes if you have bought a ticket. You also need to match the winning numbers for that particular draw. There is no other way to win a prize.

You are asked to pay taxes or fees to claim a prize

• You will NEVER be asked to pay any kind of fee before you receive your winnings. Prizes are only taxed in three EuroMillions countries, and the money is withheld on the payout. You do not have to hand over funds to release a prize. An official lottery company would not blackmail you in this way. You should not, under any circumstances, send money or banking details to someone making such a request.

The message or call claims to be from EuroMillions

• Euro-Millions.com will never contact you under any circumstances to say you have won a prize. Any prize notifications that supposedly originate from Euro-Millions.com are fraudulent. EuroMillions is run by the national lotteries of nine participating countries, not one composite entity. In the UK, the National Lottery does not call you if you have won a prize. If you’ve played online you’ll be notified of any wins by email, but it is up to you to start the claims process.

You are told your mobile was selected as the winner

• It could be your mobile number, email address or house address, with the scammer saying it was drawn at random to win the prize. This is not how lotteries work. You need to buy a ticket to be able to win.

You are told not to tell anyone else about the win

• If you genuinely win a prize, you are allowed to tell anyone you wish. It would not disqualify you from claiming a prize. This is a tactic from the fraudster to try and stop their deception from being discovered. The fewer people who know about the fake message, the less likely they are to be found out.

You are given a very short deadline to claim the prize

• This is an attempt to rush you into providing money or personal information before you realise it is a scam and uncover the deceit. In reality, there is a set claim period in each country that gives winners time before coming forward. Official lotteries do not contact winners to hurry them up.

The email has been sent from a free webmail address

• If the email is not from an official lottery website, it is a scam. The display name on an email may say something that sounds authentic like ‘EuroMillions Lottery’, but this can be set by the user. Anyone can set up an account with free web clients such as Gmail or Outlook.

The message doesn’t address you by name

• If you’ve received a text or letter and it is not addressed to you personally, it is a scam. It may say something vague like 'Dear Winner', so the scammer can send a large number of emails in a short amount of time. This may not always be the case, however, so don't assume the message is genuine just because it uses your name.

What to do if you have received a Scam

If you receive a letter or email which claims that you have won a EuroMillions prize, raffle, sweepstake or competition that you have not entered, it is strongly recommend that you:

• Do not send any money
• Do not open any link contained in a suspicious email
• Do not respond to any suspicious email or letter
• Do not disclose any personal or financial information, whether by email, letter or over the phone
• If you have already responded, break off contact with the fraudster immediately
• If you have provided personal or financial details, alert your bank immediately

Whilst law enforcement agencies worldwide are working hard to identify lottery scams and bring their perpetrators to justice, the best way to avoid becoming a victim is to remain vigilant.

Examples of Lottery Scams

As more and more people are becoming wise to lottery scams, fraudsters are getting increasingly creative. Here are just some examples of lottery scams you may receive: