Financial crime

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Lottery Fraud

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4-1-9 letters (Nigerian letters)

Lottery fraud is one of many different types of Advance Fee Fraud, where the perpetrator attempts to persuade a possible victim to pay fees in advance or relative small sums of money for a service he or she has never asked for.

In the case of a lottery scam, the money has to be paid for the transfer of a huge lottery win. Very often, names of popular companies or organizations are misused to give the lottery a trustworthy impression. Modern media are often used, for example, the Internet, mobile devices and cell phones.

INTERPOL is currently supporting a private sector initiative to raise awareness of the scams and to aid investigations.

INTERPOL's advice

If you are the victim of a lottery scam, or if you have received an unexpected letter about a significant lottery win which has to be transferred from a foreign country to your account:

• Do not reply to any of these messages
• Do not send any money
• Do not send or hand over identification documents - not even copies
• Never surrender details of your bank accounts or payment cards
• Never open any attachments 

If you are already in contact with these criminals or have already paid advance fees:

• Save all received and sent email and text messages
• Save all documents of transactions and remittances
• Never agree to meet the criminals in person in order to receive a prize - you will not receive any money and you may be putting yourself in danger!
• Contact your local police immediately and follow their advice.

Don't forget:

You cannot win a prize for a lottery in which you never have participated.