Prize scams change names constantly, but the script is steady: you supposedly won something valuable, then must pay a fee before receiving it. Real winnings do not work that way.
Does this affect you?
Use this for calls, letters, texts, emails, or social messages in the United States claiming you won a lottery, sweepstakes, giveaway, drawing, raffle, or contest.
Know the pattern behind every version
The brand name may change; the mechanics do not.
- You cannot win a drawing you never entered. If you do not remember signing up, assume you did not win.
- Any upfront payment request is a scam. Taxes, processing fees, insurance, customs, shipping, or release charges are not paid before a real prize is delivered.
- In the United States, taxes on legitimate prizes are handled after the fact through proper tax channels, not sent to the prize organization by gift card or wire.
- Hard-to-reverse payment methods are common: gift cards, wire transfers, cryptocurrency, prepaid cards, or payment-app transfers.
- Urgency and secrecy are warning signs. Claim within 24 hours and do not tell anyone are designed to isolate you.
- Foreign lottery claims you never entered are fake, and many foreign lottery solicitations by mail or phone are illegal for U.S. residents.
- A check that arrives with instructions to send part of the money back is a fake-check scam. The bank may show funds before the check fully clears and later reverses it.
Verify and report it
Use contact information you find independently.
- Contact the real organization through its official website or published customer service line, not the phone number or link in the message.
- Do not deposit a prize check tied to fees or money-back instructions. If you already deposited it, call your bank immediately.
- Report the scam to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov under prize, sweepstakes, and lottery scams.
- If the notice arrived by mail, report it to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service at uspis.gov.
- Block the number or delete the email without replying or clicking unsubscribe, because responses can confirm your contact information is active.
More control
Unexpected good news lowers defenses
This scam works on careful people because the message feels exciting instead of threatening. Noticing that emotional pull helps you pause.
Some brands are impersonated repeatedly
Publishers Clearing House is a common example with its own specific warning signs, but the no-upfront-payment rule covers all prize scams.
If money was sent
Contact the bank, wire service, payment app, crypto platform, or gift card issuer immediately. File a police report for larger losses and report to the FTC even if recovery is unlikely.
Sources
- FTC Consumer Advice – Prize, Sweepstakes, and Lottery Scams (2025)
- USPS Postal Inspection Service – Lottery and Sweepstakes Fraud (2025)
- Federal Trade Commission – Foreign Lottery Scams (2025)