Be aware of lottery scams

Lottery scams are advance-fee scams that usually start by claiming ‘you’ve won!’ vast sums of money, or giving you the chance to be entered into a lottery draw.

The prize you have 'won' could be anything from an exotic holiday to a sum of money, holidays, or even a chance to be entered in a foreign lottery.

To claim the prize, you will then be asked to pay a fee, often claimed to be a bank fee or courier charge. The scammers then make money by continually collecting these fees from you and stalling the prize.

You may also be asked to give your personal information, which is also highly valuable to scammers. The letter will usually request that you respond quickly or risk missing out. 

There have been various reports of scammers claiming to represent ‘the International Online Postcode Lottery’ and ‘FIFA Lottery’, often in reference to a current event to make their claims appear plausible.

An islander received one such letter and sent it to us at the Jersey Consumer Council; it was supposedly from ‘Your Lotto Service’.

An important detail we noticed was the sender's address. In the letter shared with the Council, the sender’s address turned out to be a housing estate in Enfield, an unlikely place for a legitimate company’s ‘international headquarters’. The letter also included incorrectly capitalised parts of the address and the recipient’s name.

How to protect yourself from lottery scams

• If you haven’t entered a lottery, you can’t win it. 
• If someone asks you to pay money up-front to receive a prize or winnings, it’s almost always a scam. Legitimate lotteries do not require you to pay a fee to collect winnings. 
• Scammers will usually ask for an immediate answer. Scammers want you to part with your money immediately, so they’ll say things that may make it difficult for you to say no.
• Never send money or give a credit card, online account details, or important documents to anyone you don’t know or don’t trust. 
• Avoid making payments via money order, wire transfer, or online currencies like Bitcoin. It is difficult to effectively trace or recover these payments.

If you have been a victim of a scam, you should report it to the States of Jersey Police by calling 612612.