EuroDreams Lottery Scams

Unfortunately, lottery scams are widespread all over the world, and a big European game such as EuroDreams could be taken advantage of by fraudsters looking to con innocent victims out of their money.

Find out about how some lottery scams work, learn how to spot the warning signs and what to do if you are targeted.

Above all, remember that the only way you can win a lottery prize, whether it is EuroDreams or another game, is to buy a ticket and match the winning numbers.

How Scams Work

The most common lottery scam is when a fraudster makes contact - whether by email, text message, letter, phone or even social media - and tells their target they have won a prize.

This taps into the natural excitement that anyone would feel when told they might suddenly be about to become very rich. In reality, of course, there is no prize and the plan is try and extract personal or financial information with a view to stealing money.

Scammers usually pretend that they represent an official lottery. They sometimes use famous brand names or grand terms to sound more legitimate, such as the EuroMilllions Commonwealth of Nations Lottery, the EuroMillions World Lottery, or the Google Online Sweepstakes. None of these exist.

EuroDreams is a new lottery that is jointly run by the national lotteries of the eight participating countries. There is no single 'EuroDreams' company. The game is also separate to EuroMillions, so any sort of message blending the two together is most likely a scam.

There are several other ways that scammers operate in relation to lotteries. Sometimes they will call up and offer a subscription, asking if you want to become a customer and play a particular lottery such as EuroDreams. This gives them a chance to request that you transfer money if you sound keen.

Alternatively, the criminal may get in touch and say that you previously signed a contract with EuroDreams or EuroMillions and now need to renew, or that you owe money. There have even been scammers who have tried to scare people by saying the debt collectors will soon be coming if they do not pay their outstanding lottery balance.

Spotting Scams and What To Do Next

While lottery scams have become increasingly sophisticated and are sure to take on other fresh forms, there are still ways you can identify them and protect yourself. Remember these key points if you are not sure whether something is a scam or not:

• It is not possible to win a prize for a lottery game, or any other competition, that you have not entered.
• Lotteries do not select winners at random based on their phone number or email address.
• An official lottery company will never ask you to pay tax or a processing fee in order for you to receive a prize.
• If the person messaging you or talking to you tells you not to speak to anyone about the prize they are claiming to offer you, it is a sign of a scam. This is a tactic to try and ensure they are not found out. In reality, you can tell anyone you like and it certainly would not disqualify you from claiming. Similarly, a lottery company would not give you a very short deadline, such as a few days, to come forward. This is another attempt to rush you into providing money or information before you realise it is a scam.
• Official lotteries do not send emails from free webmail addresses such as Gmail or Outlook.

If you receive an email, phone call or letter that you are wary about, make sure not to disclose any personal information. Don't open any links contained in a suspicious email, never send any money and, if you have already responded, break off contact immediately.

If you have provided personal or financial information, alert your bank straight away. You can report any suspicious contact to the police or a fraud agency.