It is not possible to win a EuroMillions prize that if not entered.
Lottery scams are used to gain money or personal information from you by tricking you into believing you have won a large amount of money in a lottery or sweepstakes.
They most commonly come in the form of letters, emails, or phone calls, but fraudsters are constantly devising new ways of delivering them.
Whichever method is used, the scams will claim that either you, your mobile number, or your email address has been 'randomly selected' to win a prize.
Some of them may send a communication informing you of a win from a made-up lottery that uses famous brand names in an attempt to make it sound more legitimate. An example of this is the Google Online Sweepstakes, which has been cited in some scams and is definitely not a real lottery.
The format of these scams may vary but the aim is always the same: to persuade you to pay a processing fee or taxes in order to claim your fictitious prize, or for you to provide personal information which may then be used for identity theft.
Some scammers also sell fake lottery tickets, usually over the phone. Targets are encouraged to pay for their entries up front, but the tickets never materialise. You should only ever buy lottery tickets from trusted websites or retailers, and never from unknown sources.
You should only ever buy lottery tickets from trusted websites or retailers, and never from unknown sources. If you play online, you may receive a legitimate email notifying you of a genuine win, but this will always come from the same provider that you used to take part.
If your suspicions are raised by a phone call, letter, SMS message or email you have received, the following information will be useful.
Types of EuroMillions Scams
EuroMillions scams can turn the popular dream of winning a jackpot into a costly nightmare.
Here are some of the most popular methods used by fraudsters. The first point of contact is generally made using one of the following approaches:
Direct Mail
A letter is sent through the post informing the recipient that they have won a lottery prize and need to register their claim in order for their winnings to be processed.
Telephone
A 'lottery official' calls the potential victim to tell them about the 'good news' and, during the telephone call, will try to extract a payment and/or bank details under the pretence that a ‘processing fee’ or ‘tax’ needs to be paid.
Some scammers have taken to selling fake lottery tickets over the phone. They will ask for payment upfront, requiring the target to disclose their bank details, but the tickets are never sent as they do not exist.
Email
This approach is similar to direct mail, except the potential victim receives an email informing them of their 'win'. Scam emails often look genuine and could even link back to fraudulent clones of official websites.
Mobile
A text message is sent informing the recipient that their mobile number was entered into a raffle or lottery and selected at random as the winner.
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 phoneIf 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.More information - https://www.euro-millions.com/scams
CAREFUL! The ingenuity of crooks knows no bounds.