Lottery and prize scam

How it works

A message says you won a KBC lottery, a car or a lucky draw, and asks for a "tax" or "processing fee" before you can claim it.

Red flags

• !A prize in a contest you never entered.
• !A “tax”, “processing” or “customs” fee to be paid before the prize is released.
• !A request to keep the win confidential.
• !A foreign number, or a WhatsApp voice note announcing the win.

Example

Each fee you pay is followed by another one. The prize does not exist.

This is an illustration of the pattern, not a copy of a real message. Real ones vary in wording.

What to do

1. 01Do not reply and do not pay any fee.
2. 02Do not share bank details or identity documents to “receive” the prize.
3. 03Block and report the number.
4. 04If you have paid, call 1930 immediately.

Where to report

• Your bank

  Call the number printed on the back of your card or shown in your bank’s own app, and ask them to block the card or account and dispute the transaction.

• Call 1930

  The national cyber-fraud helpline. If money has left your account, call straight away — the sooner it is reported, the better the chance of the money being frozen.

  Call 1930

• National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal

  File a complaint online at cybercrime.gov.in. Keep the acknowledgement number it gives you.

  Open cybercrime.gov.in

• Sanchar Saathi (Chakshu)

  Report the suspicious call, SMS or WhatsApp number to the Department of Telecommunications, even if you lost nothing.

  Open sancharsaathi.gov.in