Lottery scam advice

Lottery and competition scams can be delivered in person, over the telephone, through the post, by email or text message and via social media.  

If you are told that you have won a lottery prize or competition and you haven’t entered, then you haven’t won a prize. If someone asks you to pay money to receive winnings it’s likely to be a scam as legitimate lotteries do not require the payment of a fee to collect winnings. 

The Asia Pacific Lottery Association is not involved in the conduct of lotteries so any approach from someone purporting to represent the Association will be a scam.  

If you have received what you believe may be a lottery scam, please:

• do not reply to the communication;
• do not pay money in advance to collect a prize or lottery winnings;
• do not reveal your full identity;
• do not release your bank account or credit card details; and
• delete hoax communications as soon as they are received.

You may choose to report instances of lottery scams to your local law enforcement agency or online fraud reporting body.