The fraudsters, claiming to offer free EuroMillions tickets, have been contacting players in Ireland for a number of weeks, before calling customers in the UK with the same bogus deal. Irish National Lottery officials were quick to respond to the reports, discouraging members of the public from engaging with the con artists, and stating that it was not yet known whether or not the calls were being made by the same person or group. Calls were logged from both a Dublin number and a British area code.
“We have become aware through social media and other channels about such calls which appear to have escalated in the last few days,” a spokesperson for the National Lottery said. “Last month we were contacted through our call centre by members of the public saying they received calls from the National Lottery giving them good news that they had won a free play on the EuroMillions.”
The spokesperson continued, explaining how the scammers were carrying out their scheme: “Those contacted were told to press a particular digit on their phone to avail of a free draw. None of those who contacted our call centre did. They sensed that something wasn’t right. So we don’t actually know what happens if you press the number.”
This latest EuroMillions ticket sham comes just two months after a number of players were contacted via email, with a notification mimicking a ticket confirmation message. Readers were instructed to download a file in order to claim their prize, however, the attached zip folder contained harmful material that could damage the computer. There is still no word on whether the two scams are connected.
EuroMillions players are reminded that lottery officials in any participating country will never call or email anyone directly, other than with notifications to check your online account for a prize or as a follow up to an enquiry or claim lodged by the player. If you would like more information on how to spot and avoid potential scams, visit the EuroMillions Lottery Scams page.
Tonight’s EuroMillions draw certainly isn’t a swindle and could see one player walk away with £52 million (€59 million). So, if you fancy your chances of winning, you can pick your numbers online or play through an authorised retailer in any of the nine participating countries. Best of luck!