Lottery Scams: How “You’ve Won” Calls Work and What to Do

Lottery scams tell you that you’ve won a lottery, often a foreign one or a big national draw, and then ask you to pay fees, taxes or customs charges before you can collect. The giveaway is simple: you can’t win a lottery you didn’t enter, and real lotteries don’t ask winners to pay to receive a prize. If you get one of these calls, letters or messages, don’t pay or share your bank details, stop contact, and report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

These scams are designed to be exciting, and excitement makes anyone less careful. If you’ve already sent money, you’re not alone and it isn’t too late to act. This guide covers how lottery scams work, how to spot them, and what to do next.

How lottery scams usually work

The message arrives out of nowhere: a phone call, email, letter, text or social media message saying your name, number or email was “selected” in an international draw. The prize is large. There’s usually an official-looking certificate, a claim number and a named “claims agent.”

Then comes the catch. Before the money can be released, you need to pay something: processing fees, insurance, customs duties, legal costs or taxes. After the first payment, there’s another, and another. Some victims are strung along for months with new reasons why the prize is almost ready.

Lottery scams also often involve a fake check. The scammer sends a check for part of your “winnings” and asks you to deposit it and send some back for fees. The check can appear to clear at first and then bounce days later, leaving you responsible for the money. Our guide to fake check scams explains why.

Common versions of lottery scams

Foreign lottery scams

The most classic version: you’re told you’ve won a lottery in another country, sometimes one you’ve never heard of. The FTC warns that it’s illegal under federal law to play a foreign lottery by mail or phone, and that messages urging you to pay to collect foreign lottery winnings are scams. Legitimate foreign lotteries don’t contact random people abroad to announce a win.

Fake national lottery wins

Scammers use the names of real lotteries, such as big multistate draws, to sound credible. Real lottery winners have to have bought a ticket and must come forward to claim a prize themselves. Official lotteries don’t call, text or email people to tell them they’ve won.

“Jackpot winner” giveaways on social media

A newer version uses the name and photos of a real person who won a big jackpot. A fake account says the winner is “giving back” and has chosen you to receive part of the money. To get it, you pay a delivery or processing fee, or share bank details. Real winners aren’t picking strangers from social media to send money to. Our Facebook scams guide covers other fake giveaways on social platforms.

“You’ve been entered automatically” draws

Some messages say you were entered because of your email address, phone number or a past purchase. That’s not how lotteries work. If you didn’t buy a ticket, there’s no lottery prize.

Lottery scams that turn into other scams

Some “winners” are later asked to receive and forward packages or money for the claims agent. This can make a victim part of a money-laundering chain without realizing it. If you’re asked to move money or goods for someone you’ve never met, stop and talk to your bank.

Warning signs of a lottery scam

• You didn’t enter. This alone is enough to know it’s a scam.
• You must pay to collect. Fees, taxes, customs or insurance paid upfront to the person contacting you.
• Payment by wire, gift card, crypto or cash. Or a request to buy prepaid cards and read out the numbers.
• A foreign lottery. Especially one that claims to have drawn your name from a list.
• Secrecy. Being told to keep the win quiet “for security” or so it isn’t “claimed by someone else.”
• Pressure and deadlines. The prize will be forfeited unless you pay today.
• Requests for bank details or your Social Security number “to deposit the winnings.”
• Repeated calls from different people, such as a claims agent, a lawyer, a customs official and a bank officer, each asking for a new payment.

What to do right now

1. Don’t pay anything. No fees, taxes or “release” charges, however small.
2. Stop contact. Hang up, don’t reply and block the number or account.
3. Don’t deposit any check they sent you. If you already did, call your bank and tell them it may be fake before you spend or send any of it.
4. Call your bank or card issuer if you paid or shared account details. Use the number on your card or statement.
5. Protect your identity. If you gave your Social Security number, date of birth or ID, consider a fraud alert or credit freeze, and read our guide on what to do if your identity is stolen.
6. Save the evidence. Letters, envelopes, emails, phone numbers, texts, certificates and receipts.

Where to report a lottery scam

• The FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
• The FBI’s IC3 at ic3.gov, if the scam came by email, text, social media or online payment.
• The US Postal Inspection Service, if the notice or a check came in the mail.
• Forward scam texts to 7726 (SPAM) so your carrier can block similar messages.
• The platform, if it arrived through social media or a messaging app. Report the account as a scam or impersonation.
• The real lottery, through its official website, if the scammers used its name.
• Your state attorney general, which can warn others.

For every option in one place, including reporting outside the US, see how to report a scammer.

Can you get your money back?

How you paid	What you can try
Credit or debit card	Ask your card issuer about a dispute or chargeback as soon as you can.
Wire or money transfer service	Contact the service and your bank immediately and ask for a fraud reversal. Once collected, wires are usually impossible to reverse.
Gift cards	Call the card issuer, say the cards were used in a scam, and ask if any balance can be frozen. Keep the cards and receipts. See our gift card scams guide.
Cash by mail or courier	Report it to the Postal Inspection Service or the courier right away, in case the package can be stopped.
Crypto	Usually irreversible. Report to the exchange and IC3 with the wallet address.

Lottery scam victims are often put on “sucker lists” that get shared between scammers, so expect more calls, including offers to recover your losses for a fee. Those are usually a second scam. Our guide to recovery scams explains how to recognize them.

A worked example

This is an illustrative scenario, not a real case. Walter, a retired machinist, gets a letter saying he’s won a large prize in an international lottery. It includes a certificate, a claim number and a phone number for a “claims director.” When he calls, a friendly man congratulates him and says he just needs to pay an insurance and customs fee so the prize can be shipped.

1. Walter mentions it to his daughter, who asks when he bought a ticket. He realizes he never did.
2. He doesn’t pay, and stops answering calls from the number.
3. A check for part of the “prize” arrives in the mail. He doesn’t deposit it and keeps it with the envelope.
4. He reports the letter and check to the US Postal Inspection Service and the FTC.
5. When a caller claiming to be from a “government recovery office” rings the next week, Walter hangs up.

If you care for an older relative, it can help to talk about these scams openly and agree on a simple rule: any “prize” that needs a payment gets discussed with family first. The grandparent scams guide has more tips on protecting older family members.

How to protect yourself next time

• Remember the rule: no ticket, no win. No payment is ever needed to collect a real prize.
• Don’t call back numbers in the message. If you want to check, look up the official lottery website yourself.
• Keep personal and bank details private, especially with anyone who contacted you first.
• Register your number with the National Do Not Call Registry. It won’t stop scammers, but it makes unexpected sales calls easier to recognize.
• Talk it over. Scammers push secrecy because a second opinion ends the scam.

Prize notices from fake sweepstakes and “prize patrols” work in a similar way but come with their own tricks. Our guide to sweepstakes scams covers them.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Paying “just the taxes.” Taxes on real winnings aren’t paid to a caller in advance.
• Depositing a check and sending money back. The check may bounce after your money is gone.
• Staying on the phone. The longer the call, the more pressure. Hang up.
• Feeling too embarrassed to tell anyone. Scammers are professionals. Reporting helps protect the next person.

If scammers are using your name or photos in fake “winner” posts, report each account as impersonation. If those posts or scam complaints start appearing when people search for you, our personal reputation management team can help assess what can realistically be removed.

Frequently asked questions

Can I win a lottery I didn't enter?

No. You have to buy a ticket to win a real lottery. A message saying you’ve won a lottery you never entered is a scam.

Do real lottery winners have to pay fees to claim prizes?

No. Legitimate lotteries don’t ask winners to pay fees, insurance or taxes upfront to the person who contacted them. Any taxes owed on real winnings go through the tax system.

Is it legal to play a foreign lottery?

The FTC says it’s illegal under federal law to play a foreign lottery by mail or phone. Messages asking you to pay to collect foreign lottery winnings are scams.

What should I do if I sent money for a lottery prize?

Stop paying, call your bank or the payment service you used through official channels, and report it to the FTC and IC3. If it came by mail, report it to the US Postal Inspection Service too.