There are three main contact methods used by “Lottery Scammers”, these are email, phone and post. Most follow a similar theme of telling you that you have been fortunate enough to win a large prize in a draw or a lottery.
In most cases you would have never heard of the said lottery or draw and you certainly wouldn’t have entered it.
The main thing to remember if you receive any communication along these lines is to be sceptical and ask yourself:
- Did you enter the lottery they mention?
- Do you have a ticket for that lottery?
- Have you ever given your contact details to a company you’ve purchased a ticket from?
It’s always worth remembering that if it appears too good to be true, it almost always is.
Other tips for what to look out for:
- No licensed Lottery would ever ask you to send money up-front − an administration fee or tax, the list is endless but they are all aimed at getting you to give them money before you collect your winnings. Under no circumstances send them any money.
- Never under any circumstances give them your bank details.
- Never under any circumstances give them your contact details.
- Never ring a phone number they give you as they will undoubtedly be a premium number, some of which can cost you £100’s just on connection.
UK National Lottery Scams
The UK National Lottery is one licensed Lottery that may legitimately have your email or postal address if you hold an online account with them. These points will help you identify a fraudulent UK National Lottery winning notification email.
The UK National Lottery will only tell you in an email if your ticket has won a prize, they will never tell you how much you have won.
The UK National Lottery will never ask for any personal details or bank details in a letter or email.
The UK National Lottery will email you if your ticket is a winner with the subject line “News about your ticket!” Any other subject line regarding “Winning” won’t be from The UK National Lottery.
The UK National Lottery will on occasion send its online account holders emails regarding subjects other than winning which could come from the following email addresses: admin@national-lottery.co.uk, player@national-lottery.co.uk, play@national-lottery.co.uk, help@national-lottery.co.uk, play@play.national-lottery.co.uk, directdebit@national-lottery.co.uk, rollover@email.national-lottery.co.uk, play@email.national-lottery.co.uk
For further checks read the UK National Lottery “Common Lottery Scams” page or call their Customer Care team on 0845 278 8000
The people who run these scams are very clever and will seemingly have what, on the face of it, will sound like a plausible explanation for all your questions. If you are tempted to follow up any of these approaches, always seek the advice of a close professional friend or member of the family before doing so.
Other checks you can make include calling the Office of Fair Trading hotline on 020 7211 8111 and they will let you know if they have any reports that your particular communication is from a “Scammer”
Alternatively the UK’s Gambling Commission publishes the names of all companies and individuals who hold, or have applied for, operating lottery licences in Great Britain. Click here
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