Fake Lottery and KBC Prize Message over the phone

How it looks over the phone, the red flags and what to do.

Callers pretend to be bank staff, police, a courier, a telecom officer or a relative, and they try to keep you on the line while you act. Fake Lottery and KBC Prize Message is one of the ways this shows up: 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.

What fake lottery and kbc prize message looks like over the phone

• A calm, official voice that already knows your name or the last digits of your card.
• Being told to stay on the line and not to tell your family.
• Instructions to install a screen-sharing app or to press keys on the phone.

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.

Red flags to check on the phone call

• 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.
• You are told that a case, arrest, block or penalty is coming within minutes.
• You are asked to move money to a "safe account".

What to do

1. Ignore the message; a real prize never needs a fee from you.
2. Do not send ID photos or bank details.
3. Block the sender and report the number in Sanchar Saathi under Chakshu.
4. Hang up. A real bank or office will not mind that you call them back.
5. Call the bank or office on the number printed on your card, bill or official app, not on a number the caller gave.
6. Never share an OTP or PIN. No genuine staff member needs it.

Report the number on the Sanchar Saathi portal (Chakshu facility). If money moved, call 1930 immediately.

If money or a code is already gone

1. Call 1930 and report at cybercrime.gov.in with all payment references.
2. Tell your bank through the official app and note the receiving accounts.
3. If you sent ID copies, watch for unknown SIMs, loans or accounts and tell the issuing bodies.
4. Do not pay any further tax or fee to claim the prize.

National Cyber Crime Helpline: 1930; report at cybercrime.gov.in.

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.

Full guide: Fake Lottery and KBC Prize Message: how it works, signs and what to do. Other channels: WhatsApp, SMS, email.

Questions