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Lottery scams: you can't win one you never entered

Editorially reviewed · Last updated September 8, 2026

Yes — this is a scam. You can't win a lottery you never entered — and a real prize never costs money to claim.

Exhibit · Text message

Text Message · Today 11:26 AM
from +1 (804) 555-0117
FINAL NOTICE: Your mobile number has been selected as a $2,500,000.00 winner in the National Sweepstakes Bureau quarterly draw. To release your winnings you must pay the $499 processing fee within 48 hours. Reply CLAIM or call our claims agent now.
Illustrative text message · not an original screenshot

Other versions you might get: A call from a “claims agent,” a letter with a check to “cover the fees,” an email about a foreign lottery, a text that you won an iPad or a car from a local dealership, or a social-media message about a gift card. Different prizes, same trap: pay first, or hand over your details.

What to do right now

  1. Don't respond and don't click any links — prize messages by text, email, or social media can carry links that download malware onto your device.
  2. Never pay a fee to claim a prize. Not “taxes,” not shipping, not processing — the FTC is unambiguous: real prizes are free, and only a scammer asks you to pay.
  3. Do not give sensitive details to an unverified prize sender. A legitimate payer may need tax information for reportable winnings, but verify the organization independently first. If you gave your SSN to a scammer, use IdentityTheft.gov for next steps.
  4. Report it. File at reportfraud.ftc.gov and tell your state attorney general. If the prize notice came in the mail, also report it to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service at uspis.gov/report.
  5. If you already paid, act fast. Contact your bank, card issuer, gift-card company, or wire service immediately and ask them to reverse or freeze the payment — the sooner you move, the better your odds.

Reduce the risk of another scam

Do not use the message’s link to check the claim. Open the real service yourself. If you paid or shared account details, start with what to do after a scam. Blocking and reporting can reduce unwanted contact, but they cannot stop every attempt or tell you how the sender found you.

● Public service · free steps first

Take the free protection steps first

A suspicious message does not tell us how someone found your details. If you shared personal information, start with the official recovery guidance. You can also freeze your credit for free.

Decide what protection you need

Start with the free controls above. Compare what a paid service would add only after deciding which problem remains.

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Frequently asked

How can I tell if a lottery or sweepstakes win is a scam?
An unexpected prize notice demanding an advance payment, gift cards, or sensitive details is a serious scam warning. Verify the lottery or sponsor through contact details you find independently. Do not claim that real prizes never need information: taxable winnings can require a taxpayer identification number and tax reporting. Never send that information through an unverified message.
I got a message saying I won a lottery I never entered — is that possible?
For a lottery requiring a ticket, verify a valid ticket through the operator’s official process. A notice alone proves nothing, and promotions can have different entry rules. Do not pay an unexpected sender to unlock a prize or provide sensitive details before independently checking the sponsor and claim.
What is a foreign lottery scam?
A message saying you won — or can buy tickets for — a lottery in another country. The FTC's guidance is blunt: messages about a foreign lottery are almost certainly from a scammer, and it's illegal for U.S. citizens to play a foreign lottery in the first place, so don't trust anyone asking you to break the law. There's a second cost, too: respond once and expect many more fake-lottery and “opportunity” offers, because reply lists get resold to other scammers.
They sent me a real-looking check and asked me to send some money back — what's the catch?
The check is fake, and the catch is timing. When you deposit it, your bank has to make the funds available before it can confirm the check is good — so the money looks real in your account. You wire back the “taxes” or “fees,” and weeks later the check bounces and the bank takes the full amount back out of your money. The FTC flags this exact move in prize scams. If this is where you are, see our fake check scam page for the recovery steps.
How do I report a lottery scam?
Report it to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov — that's the front door for prize and lottery scams — and to your state attorney general. If the notice arrived by mail, also report it to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service at uspis.gov/report: running a prize scam through the mail is a federal crime. And if you gave a scammer personal information like your Social Security number, go to IdentityTheft.gov for a step-by-step recovery plan.

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Sources

  1. 01Fake Prize, Sweepstakes, and Lottery Scams— Federal Trade Commission
  2. 02Report mail fraud and prize scams sent by mail— U.S. Postal Inspection Service
  3. 03Instructions for Forms W-2G and 5754— irs.gov

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Help protect someone else

If this could have fooled you, it can fool someone you know — a parent, a friend, the family group chat. It's safe to forward, and stands on its own as a record for a bank or the police.