Irish Lottery Scams
If you receive a message claiming you’ve won a prize in a lottery you never entered, it could be a lottery scam. Do not respond, and never share personal details or send money to anyone who contacts you unexpectedly.
At IrishLottery.com, we work hard to promote safe and enjoyable play. While fraudsters continue to evolve their tactics (this is unlikely to ever change), there are ways you can prevent lottery scams now and in the future.
Use this page to stay alert, informed, and protected from scams.
How Lottery Scams Start
Lottery scams are common but highly avoidable. They can come in a variety of forms including:
- Post
- Call
- Text
- Social media
The most common tactic fraudsters use is to tell you that you have won a prize, with the fraudster claiming to represent a lottery organisation. The scammer will then attempt to extract money or private details, perhaps by requesting an ‘advance fee’ or an ‘administration charge’ before their winnings can be released.
How to Avoid a Lottery Scam
You can avoid potential lottery scams by remembering the following facts:
- You cannot win a lottery, raffle or any other competition if you have not entered it.
- Official lotteries do not randomly select email addresses or mobile phone numbers to win prizes.
- You would never be approached by a legitimate lottery to claim a prize. You may be notified of a win and advised to check your emails, but it would always be up to you to contact the lottery company to claim any prizes you are due.
- A legitimate lottery would never ask for an advance payment before winnings can be released.
Spotting Lottery Scams
While many lottery scams can look professional and are well-written, there will still be clear signs that the communication you received is fake. Potential factors include:
- Being told you won a lottery you never entered.
- The sender asks for money upfront in the form of “processing fees”, “taxes”, “delivery charges”, or “insurance”.
- The correspondence is not directed to you personally. Instead, you’re addressed as ‘Dear Winner’ or something equally vague.
- You are contacted via a different email address than the one you would expect from the lottery organisation that the sender is claiming to be. Keep your eye out for addresses like ‘john6548@hotmail.com’.
- The sender may give you a strict time limit in which to claim the prize, pressuring you to act quickly.
- The sender may include a confidentiality clause attempting to prevent you from seeking third party advice.
What To Do
Here is a simple process to follow if you’re targeted:
- Do not respond.
- Do not disclose personal or financial information.
- Do not send money.
- Do not open any links in the email/message/text.
Report scams to the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission. The contact number for queries between 9am and 6pm on Mondays to Fridays is (01) 402 5555.
If you have already responded to someone you suspect is a scammer, or sent money, you should inform your bank and the police immediately.