Retired Employee Duped of ₹3 Lakh in Hyderabad, Lottery Scam

Hyderabad: A 76-year-old retired employee from the city, who bought a lottery ticket from the Kerala government, was fleeced of over Rs. 3.18 lakh by fraudsters.

When the victim clicked on the lottery advertisement on Facebook, it redirected him to a WhatsApp number. Subsequently, the fraudster contacted him via WhatsApp and explained to him that a lottery draw was taking place in Kerala, an annual event usually conducted by the Kerala Government. He persuaded the victim to purchase tickets.

Believing the scammer, the senior citizen bought three tickets (ticket numbers: KL 624831, KL 336699, and KL 784212). After a few days, the victim received a message claiming that two of his tickets had been picked and that he had won lottery amounts of Rs. 5,00,000 and Rs. 12,00,000, respectively.

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Subsequently, the fraudster contacted the victim from different numbers to inform him that the prize money could not be deposited into his account unless he first paid certain charges, such as refundable tax and other fees. The fraudster assured him that these amounts would be refunded along with the prize money.

Trusting the words of the fraudster, the victim transferred a total of Rs. 3,18,148 on multiple occasions. However, when they later demanded additional payments, the victim refused to pay further. Eventually, the fraudsters stopped responding to him. Realizing that he had been scammed, the victim filed an online complaint seeking help.

Public Advisory:

Beware as fraudsters are actively targeting citizens by advertising fake Kerala Government Lottery schemes, particularly through social media platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp.
Avoid clicking on suspicious links or engaging with unknown WhatsApp numbers. Never trust lottery schemes advertised online, especially those asking for advance payments.
No government lottery will ask you to pay tax or any charges before receiving prize money.
Verify the authenticity of any lottery through the official Kerala State Lotteries website or other official government sources.
Remember: No genuine lottery requires winners to pay any charges before receiving prize money.
Report immediately to the nearest police station, call 1930, or visit www.cybercrime.gov.in.
In case of any cyber fraud emergency, please call or WhatsApp 8712665171.