Scammers are constantly fishing for new online victims. One growing trend among lottery fraudsters is to falsely advertise as representatives of the EuroMillions lottery to gain the confidence of potential targets. After all, who doesn’t want to win a quarter of a billion euros?
News out of the blue that you are a winner of a modest prize of half a million euros tends to boost excitement levels. And scammers are betting the thrilling news to cloud your judgment, allowing them to rob you of a few thousand euros. Luckily, we can explain the most common EuroMillions lottery scam tactics and how to stay safe.
- EuroMillions scams work in different ways, commonly via email, letter, or phone call.
- The scammer’s goal is to trick you into paying a fake fee or sharing your personal information.
- Officials from the EuroMillions lottery do not contact winners or request payments.
Quick Jump
How Does a EuroMillions Lottery Scam Work?
EuroMillions and other official lotteries are not rigged, but criminals are happy to “hijack” the brand for their online frauds. The FBI reported that lottery fraud resulted in $94.5 million in confirmed losses in 2023. National lotteries of all nine participating countries in the EuroMillions lottery recognize the threat of scams and offer warnings.
For example, the National Lottery of the UK has a dedicated page for security concerns relating to scams, specifically emphasizing ” Don’t pay money to anyone who claims you’ve won”. They also list contact number 0300 123 2040 for reaching Action Fraud, a UK national reporting center for fraud and cybercrime, which British citizens can use if they have been the victim of a scam.
Most scammers aim to make you pay a fake fee or siphon off your personal and banking information. The methods they use to accomplish these goals can vary, and some of the frequent EuroMillions scam formats are explored in detail below.
EuroMillions Email Scam
The most common strategy fraudsters use is to send you an email or a letter stating you have won a prize. The supposed winning amount will not be the max jackpot. It will be a smaller prize to seem credible but still alluring, often in the range of €100,000 up to €500,000. However, as with every scam, there is a catch. In order to claim the prize money, you must pay a small fee, for example, €1,000.
If you are not informed about how the EuroMillions lottery works, the fee can be a small price to get the big prize. The bad news is the promised prize is fictitious. You will not receive anything in return for paying the fee.
Donations From Previous EuroMillions Lottery Winners
A common trick among scammers is to impersonate a real jackpot lottery winner on social media and falsely advertise they are gifting large amounts of their winnings. The scam works by asking you to contact them via their social media pages on Instagram or Facebook and give them your personal information so they can share the wealth. However, these are fake social media pages, and no money is being shared.
The idea is to get your information. It’s important to point out that EuroMillions is not used exclusively as a front for the scam. The Mavis Wanczyk lottery scam is another persistent fraud of this type.
EuroMillions Promo Scam
Some criminals attempt to improve the credibility of their scam by associating the EuroMillions with a trusted brand such as Apple or Google. The concept is to reach a potential victim via email and claim they are offering a special promotion in partnership with a specific brand without the need to have previously bought a lottery ticket.
The promise is that by supplying your personal details and banking information you can claim the promotional reward. However, their goal is to steal your identity or convince you to send money as a fictional fee. The scammers disappear with your money after you pay the so-called processing fees.
Selling Fake EuroMillions Online Lottery Tickets
It is safe to buy lottery tickets online, but only if done via an authorized lottery agent. Scammers can call you by phone or send an email, offering the opportunity to purchase a lottery ticket at a discount. They will claim they are an official representative of the EuroMillions. This seems very convenient and a good deal, but after you pay for the ticket, you will not receive an online or paper ticket.
EuroMillions Subscription Scam
This is one of the more widespread scams. You will receive an SMS or email informing you that you have not paid your EuroMillions subscription or have forgotten to cancel it. Each version will claim you owe money and that you need to pay the subscription charge to a specific bank account or payment provider stipulated in the message.
Safety Checks to Implement
Do not rush to celebrate if you receive a message claiming you are a EuroMillions winner. Industry cyber security experts are warning that scams are becoming harder to detect. Speaking to IT Security Guru, a daily news portal, on the topic of Safer Internet Day, an EU initiative launched in 2024, Boris Cipot, senior security engineer at Black Duck, an application security testing company, said:
“We can already see how the usage of AI has helped to make online threats more sophisticated and harder to detect. We have chatbots that impersonate customer service, and phishing campaigns that have become really hard to detect as AI makes phishing texts, design and wording believable.”
The risks are constantly increasing. That’s why, we prepared a checklist of things to consider and learn how to avoid online lottery scams. These are the factors that can signal you are dealing with a scam:
- Ask yourself did you purchase a ticket for the specified draw. You can only win if you have a EuroMillions ticket.
- Officials from the EuroMillions lottery do not contact winners. So, if they say they are working for the lottery, you can be confident the claim is fraudulent.
- No fee is required to receive a EuroMillions prize, any such claim is false. Asking you to pay taxes in advance is a red flag.
- A short deadline to claim the prize is a strategy to force you to pay the money before you realize it’s a fraud. Winning lottery tickets can expire, but not within a day or weeks.
How to React to a EuroMillions Scam Email
If you are being targeted by a EuroMillions scam, do not send any money or disclose any personal or financial information. If you did not perform the safety checks outlined previously and have already made a payment, notify your bank and local police to minimize the potential damage. It’s also a good idea to make a post about the specific scam on your social media channel and inform others to be vigilant and not fall into the trap.
