A message announcing a lottery or prize draw win can be exciting, and that is exactly what the fraudsters behind these scams rely on. The Gambling Commission, publishes specific guidance on lottery scams, and Citizens Advice describes the general signs of a scam. This article combines the two, with reporting advice from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). One point on naming: the Gambling Commission pages still refer to Action Fraud, which was replaced by a service called Report Fraud in December 2025.
The unexpected win
The Gambling Commission’s page on winning a prize in a lottery you did not enter is blunt. It says the Commission does not notify people of lottery or competition wins, and that anyone receiving such a notification is dealing with a scam and should not respond. It describes claims of a win in a lottery the person did not enter as one of the ways fraudsters steal money or identity. The logic is simple: a genuine prize requires a genuine entry, so an unprompted win is a warning sign in itself.
The fee before the prize
The Gambling Commission says genuine lotteries will not ask for payment in order to give a prize. The person should not respond to advance payment requests or pay a fee before prize money is received. It also advises against sending money or personal details to anyone who says the person has won a prize in a lottery or sweepstake they have not entered, and against giving out personal information such as a passport number, home address, telephone number or banking details. Anyone who has already paid is advised to contact their bank and the police.
Signs that a lottery may not be genuine
The Commission’s separate guide to lottery scams and fraud lists further indicators:
- the lottery asks for cash to be sent overseas, or asks the person to phone an international or premium rate number;
- the method of payment is suspect, for example not a secure site, or a payment gateway such as PayPal to an individual;
- advertising uses phrases such as “winning will change your life”, which the Commission says are prohibited under advertising codes because they present gambling as a solution to financial difficulties;
- an email contains spelling errors and inconsistencies, or mobile phone numbers;
- an email about a lottery comes from a personal email address;
- a social media post uses exaggerated language such as “you are one step away from a huge cash prize”, or the Facebook page is not verified.
For links, the guide advises not clicking, typing the website name to find a genuine site, and checking that the email address matches the web address it claims to represent.
Checks before taking part in a lottery
The Commission suggests checking that the gambling business is licensed by the Commission or by a local authority. If a lottery claims to be raising funds for a well-known charity, it advises contacting the charity beforehand to see whether it is legitimate. These checks matter because a fake lottery can operate as a fake charity fundraiser as well as a fake prize draw.
General scam signs from Citizens Advice
Citizens Advice, in advice that applies to England, says something that seems too good to be true might be a scam, and that a scam can often start when someone unknown makes unexpected contact. It lists these red flags:
- the sender may not be a real company, for example because there is no postal address;
- money is requested quickly;
- payment is requested in an unusual way, for example by vouchers or through a transfer service such as MoneyGram or Western Union;
- personal information such as passwords or PINs is requested;
- there is no written confirmation of what has been agreed.
Each of these fits the classic prize scam, in which the victim is asked to pay an upfront charge by an unusual method to release winnings that do not exist.
Where to report
The Gambling Commission says a suspected lottery scam should be reported to the national fraud reporting service, and if a lottery is illegal and should be running under a licence or local authority registration, to the Commission or the local authority. It also notes that the majority of these frauds operate from outside the UK, so police powers are very limited. That is a reason to avoid losing money in the first place, since recovery is difficult.
The NCSC advises forwarding suspicious emails to [email protected] and forwarding scam texts to 7726, which most phone providers accept free of charge. It says anyone in England, Wales or Northern Ireland who has lost money should report to Report Fraud at reportfraud.police.uk or on 0300 123 2040, and anyone in Scotland should call Police Scotland on 101.
Frequently asked questions
What if the message includes my name and address?
That does not make it genuine. The Gambling Commission’s advice is that an unexpected notification of a win in a lottery you did not enter is a scam, whatever personal details it contains.
Are small “processing” fees safe to pay?
The Commission says genuine lotteries will not ask for payment to release a prize, so any fee is a red flag.
Does a padlock or https mean an email is genuine?
No. The Commission advises checking that the email address matches the web address, and Citizens Advice says a padlock in the browser does not guarantee a real company.
The bottom line
Three rules cover most prize scams: an unexpected win in something never entered is a scam, a genuine prize never requires a fee before it is paid, and personal details should never be sent to the claimant. Suspicious messages can be reported through the NCSC, and lost money through Report Fraud in England, Wales and Northern Ireland or Police Scotland in Scotland.
Sources
- Gambling Commission, “Winning a prize in a lottery that you did not enter”
- Gambling Commission, “Lottery scams and fraud”
- Citizens Advice, “Check if something might be a scam” (England)
- National Cyber Security Centre, “Report a scam website”
- Serious Fraud Office via GOV.UK, “Report Fraud: New service from City of London Police” (4 December 2025)