EuroMillions Lottery Scams

Learn how to identify EuroMillions lottery scams, the different types of scam you might come across, and what to do if you are targeted. Unfortunately, there are a large number of fraudsters who use lotteries as a cover to try and trick their victims into giving away money.

First and foremost - it is NOT possible to win a EuroMillions prize, raffle, sweepstake or competition that you have not entered.

There are different ways that lottery fraud can work. Most commonly, it is an email, letter or phone call from someone pretending to represent an official lottery company. It could also be a scam text. They often use famous brand names or grand terms to make it sound more legitimate, such as the EuroMilllions Commonwealth of Nations Lottery, the EuroMillions World Lottery, or the Google Online Sweepstakes. None of these exist.

The scammers may say you are a winner, perhaps quoting the winning numbers from an actual draw or instead suggesting that your mobile number or email address has been randomly selected to receive a prize.

The aim here is to get you so excited by the thought of winning that you stop thinking clearly and agree to their requests - either to send a processing fee or taxes in order to claim your fictitious prize, or for you to provide personal information. If they successfully exploit you with such schemes, they may use your information for identity theft or steal significant sums of money.

How to Identify a EuroMillions Lottery Scam

If your suspicions are raised by a phone call, letter, SMS message or email you have received, here are some tips to help you spot a scam. It’s a con if…

You didn’t buy a ticket for the draw in question

You are only eligible to win prizes if you have bought a ticket. You also need to match the winning numbers for that particular draw. There is no other way to win a prize.

You are asked to pay taxes or fees to claim a prize

You will NEVER be asked to pay any kind of fee before you receive your winnings. Prizes are only taxed in three EuroMillions countries, and the money is withheld on the payout. You do not have to hand over funds to release a prize. An official lottery company would not blackmail you in this way. You should not, under any circumstances, send money or banking details to someone making such a request.

The message or call claims to be from EuroMillions

Euro-Millions.com will never contact you under any circumstances to say you have won a prize. Any prize notifications that supposedly originate from Euro-Millions.com are fraudulent. EuroMillions is run by the national lotteries of nine participating countries, not one composite entity. In the UK, the National Lottery does not call you if you have won a prize. If you’ve played online you’ll be notified of any wins by email, but it is up to you to start the claims process.

You are told your mobile was selected as the winner

It could be your mobile number, email address or house address, with the scammer saying it was drawn at random to win the prize. This is not how lotteries work. You need to buy a ticket to be able to win.

You are told not to tell anyone else about the win

If you genuinely win a prize, you are allowed to tell anyone you wish. It would not disqualify you from claiming a prize. This is a tactic from the fraudster to try and stop their deception from being discovered. The fewer people who know about the fake message, the less likely they are to be found out.

You are given a very short deadline to claim the prize

This is an attempt to rush you into providing money or personal information before you realise it is a scam and uncover the deceit. In reality, there is a set claim period in each country that gives winners time before coming forward. Official lotteries do not contact winners to hurry them up.

The email has been sent from a free webmail address

If the email is not from an official lottery website, it is a scam. The display name on an email may say something that sounds authentic like ‘EuroMillions Lottery’, but this can be set by the user. Anyone can set up an account with free web clients such as Gmail or Outlook.

The message doesn’t address you by name

If you’ve received a text or letter and it is not addressed to you personally, it is a scam. It may say something vague like 'Dear Winner', so the scammer can send a large number of emails in a short amount of time. This may not always be the case, however, so don't assume the message is genuine just because it uses your name.

What to do if you have received a Scam

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 phone
If 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.

Despite the prevalence of lottery scams, remember that it is safe to play EuroMillions online. As long as you use a reliable service, it is the most secure way to take part as your numbers are kept safe and you will be notified if you win. If you are contacted about a win, just be vigilant and make sure it is the official service that you used to play in the first place.

Examples of Lottery Scams

As more and more people are becoming wise to lottery scams, fraudsters are getting increasingly creative. Here are just some examples of lottery scams you may receive:

Euro-Millions Online Sweepstakes

There are many similar scams, which usually take the form of an email, text or letter. The message mentions a random draw of email addresses from around Europe or the world. Watch out for the mention of contacting EuroMillions’ fiduciary agents, which is designed to make you think that you are in safe hands.

Foreigners can win EuroMillions, by playing online or purchased tickets from authorised retailers in participating countries. But if you live overseas and have been contacted about a big win without having taken part, it is a hoax.

Euro Millions Google Promo

This is an example of using a famous and trusted brand to sound appealing. If a scam mentions a respected name such as Google and says EuroMillions has teamed up with them to offer a special promotion, it makes a lot of people believe the message is genuine. In truth, it is just a fraudster, so remember the golden rule that you need to have bought a ticket in order to win a prize.

Previous Winner Scams

Another common scam trick is to use the name of previous EuroMillions winners. These are usually the biggest, most famous winners, such as Joe and Jess Thwaite, Chris and Colin Weir, or Patrick and Frances Connolly, who often talk about wanting to help others when they go public. The scammer may impersonate them and say they have chosen you at random to receive a share of their wealth. Of course, it is not the real winners who are contacting you. It is actually an elaborate hoax, so make sure not to give them any personal information.

Subscription Scams

A scam that is becoming more widespread, particularly in Europe, is to message you and say that you have forgotten to cancel your subscription, or that you have not paid your latest subscription charge for EuroMillions and owe money. Remember to check very carefully who is contacting you, and think about whether you actually have a subscription set up.

Selling Fake Tickets / World Lotto Call

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. It may be that the scammer references a genuine lottery such as EuroMIllions, but says they are selling them at a discounted rate, or says it for a completely fictitious game such as World Lotto.

Second Chance Lottery / Raffle

Usually based around a rollover draw, the scammer will claim you have won a prize in a 'second chance' EuroMillions draw. EuroMillions does not hold such 'second chance' draws. Unclaimed prizes are always either returned to the prize pool to pay winners in future draws or transferred to the good causes supported by the lottery.