Fake Lottery and KBC Prize Message by SMS

How it looks by SMS, the red flags and what to do.

A text message is the cheapest way for a scammer to reach thousands of phones at once, and the sender name can look like a bank, a courier or a government office. 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 by SMS

• A request to call a number, install an app or share an OTP.
• Several near-identical messages arriving together from different senders.
• A sender name that resembles a bank, courier, tax or utility, or an ordinary mobile number.

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 text message

• 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.
• It threatens blocking, arrest, disconnection or a fine unless you act at once.
• It promises a refund, prize or cashback you never asked for.

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. Delete the message and tell family members who may get the same text.
5. Do not reply, do not tap the link and do not call the number in the message.
6. Open the official app or type the official website yourself to see if there is any real notice.

You can report suspicious SMS and calls on the Sanchar Saathi portal (Chakshu facility) of the Department of Telecommunications.

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, phone call, email.

Questions