Fake Lottery and KBC Prize Message
You are told you won a huge lottery or a quiz-show prize and must pay a tax or processing fee first. No prize exists; only the fee is real.
A voice note or message says your mobile number has won Rs 25 lakh in a popular quiz show or a lucky draw. It carries a stamp, a photo of a presenter and a reference number. To claim the prize, you must pay a processing fee, a tax or a courier charge. The prize does not exist. The aim is to collect fees, again and again, from people who enter a contest they never joined.
How the scam works
The scammer sends the message to bulk lists, and the claim mentions a famous show, a mobile company or an online shopping festival. The attached images are edited, showing an official-looking certificate with your number on it. A named 'manager' asks you to reply and to keep the news secret from outsiders so that nobody 'steals' the prize. People usually feel excited and rarely question a contest they did not enter.
The pressure comes from deadlines and paperwork. You must register within a day, send a copy of your ID and pay a small amount, perhaps Rs 5,000, as GST or a security deposit. Each step feels logical, and each is followed by another: insurance, courier, clearance from a bank or a foreign exchange charge. A second voice phones, claiming to be from a finance office, and urges you to hurry.
The payoff is the sum of fees and the ID documents you sent. People can lose tens of thousands of rupees chasing a prize that grows with each payment. The ID copies can be used for further fraud, such as loan apps or SIM cards. Once you stop paying, the number is blocked, and a new 'winner' message soon reaches another group.
An example of what you may see
Example voice note transcript (invented): 'Congratulations! Your mobile number has been selected as a lucky winner of Rs 25,00,000 in this season's quiz draw. To claim your prize, send your Aadhaar-style ID photo and pay a refundable GST of Rs 8,500 within 24 hours to the account we will share. Please keep this confidential until the prize reaches you, or it may be cancelled.' The message ends with a photo of a smiling presenter and a stamp that reads 'Verified Winner'.
This example is written for illustration. Real messages change their wording, names and links all the time.
Red flags
- You won a prize in a contest you never entered.
- A fee, tax or deposit must be paid before you receive anything.
- You are told to keep the news confidential.
- A show's name and logo are used, but the message comes from a personal number.
- ID documents are requested to 'verify' the winner.
- New charges appear after each payment.
What to do right now
- Ignore the message; a real prize never needs a fee from you.
- Do not send ID photos or bank details.
- Block the sender and report the number in Sanchar Saathi under Chakshu.
- Warn elders in the family, who often receive such messages.
- Check the show's official website or channel for any real announcement.
If you already paid or shared a code
- Call 1930 and report at cybercrime.gov.in with all payment references.
- Tell your bank through the official app and note the receiving accounts.
- If you sent ID copies, watch for unknown SIMs, loans or accounts and tell the issuing bodies.
- Do not pay any further tax or fee to claim the prize.
National Cyber Crime Helpline: 1930. Report online at cybercrime.gov.in. Do it fast: the sooner your bank is told, the better the chance that money can be held.
Where this scam shows up
Read how it looks on each channel:
How Safeavio helps
Paste the prize message or the transcript of the voice note into Scam check in Safeavio Sentinel to see the reasons it looks risky, such as a fee before a prize and a request for secrecy. Link check can test a claim link before you open it. Safeavio does not read your messages by itself and cannot verify a contest, so check any real announcement on the organiser's official channel.
Check it before you tap or pay
Safeavio Sentinel is a made-in-India Android app: paste a message or link, or scan a QR code, and get a plain verdict with the reasons. It helps you spot a scam; it does not promise to stop every one.
Download for AndroidWhat the app does
Google Play listing: coming soon. Today the signed APK is on safeavio.com/download. Android 7.0 or later.
Questions people ask
Can I really win a lottery without entering?
No. Genuine contests require you to take part, and winners do not pay a fee to receive a prize. Messages like this are bulk bait. Legitimate organisers do not ask winners to pay fees through personal accounts, and they never ask you to keep a win secret.
Why do they ask me to keep it secret?
Secrecy stops family and friends from warning you. It is a common manipulation tactic used in many scams. A claim that a message is official because it shows a famous name or logo means nothing, since logos are copied freely.
I sent my ID. What can happen?
ID copies can be misused for SIM cards, loan apps or bank accounts. Watch your messages for unknown activity, tell the issuing bodies if something odd appears and report to cybercrime.gov.in. If a message names an organiser, check that organiser's official website or channel yourself before replying.