How to Spot a Lottery Scam: Checks to Run Before You Pay Anyone (2026)

Lottery couriers order official tickets on your behalf; prizes are paid by the official lottery. 18+ (21+ in AZ, IA, LA, MS; 19+ in NE). We hold a disclosed affiliate relationship with theLotter and may earn a commission from its links. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.

Official guidance treats an unexpected lottery win with suspicion and agrees on how to spot a fake. The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the Powerball and Mega Millions games and the UK Gambling Commission all publish advice that comes down to a few checks to run before you pay anyone or share any details. This guide quotes them directly and explains how a licensed lottery courier, which does buy official tickets and send win notices, differs from someone using its name.

The giveaway: being asked to pay to collect

The FTC puts this first among its signs of a prize scam: "If you have to pay to get your prize, it’s a scam. Real prizes are free." It names the labels scammers give the payment, from taxes and shipping to "processing fees" and "customs duties". The lotteries say the same about their own prizes. Powerball's FAQ states that "lotteries will never ask you to pay a fee to collect a Powerball prize." Mega Millions: "No real lottery tells winners to put up their own money in order to collect a prize they have already won. If you are asked to pay any kind of fee to collect your winnings, you haven’t won." The UK Gambling Commission: "Genuine lotteries will not ask you for payment in order to give you your prize."

Tax is a common pretext, so it helps to know how tax on a real prize works: it is withheld from the prize or settled later with the tax authority, never sent in advance to release the prize. For US lotteries, IRS Publication 515 (2026) describes 30% withholding "on the gross proceeds from gambling won in the United States" for nonresident aliens unless exempted by treaty (the IRS text states no threshold and does not say whether lottery prizes qualify; ask a tax adviser), and theLotter's Terms say "any required withholding will be applied before crediting your Account". Mega Millions warns that scammers "usually try to get the person to wire money for “taxes” or “fees.”"

Check whether you entered at all

You cannot win a draw you were not in. Mega Millions puts it plainly: "You can’t win a legitimate lottery if you didn’t buy a ticket." The UK Gambling Commission warns that "Claims that you have won a prize in a lottery you did not enter is one of the ways fraudsters can steal your money or identity", and says of itself: "We do not notify people of lottery or competition wins."

Lotteries do not cold-call winners either. Powerball's FAQ says "Lotteries will never contact you via email or telephone call to inform you that you’ve won a prize, unless you specifically entered an official lottery promotion or contest." Mega Millions says "No representative of Mega Millions would ever call, text, or e-mail anyone about winning a prize." Its scams page lists invented names such as "United States National Lottery" and "Mega Millions International Lottery", notes that "Mega Millions is a game, not an organization", and adds: "Real lotteries do not hold “international” sweepstakes, contests or awards for people who live outside their market area."

For US readers, the FTC adds a specific warning: "Messages about a foreign lottery are almost certainly from a scammer — and it’s a bad idea to respond. First, it's illegal for U.S. citizens to play a foreign lottery, so don’t trust someone who asks you to break the law."

Watch how the money is requested

Scammers prefer payments that are hard to trace. The FTC says they "often insist you pay by wiring money through a company like Western Union or MoneyGram, use a payment app like Apple Pay, CashApp, PayPal, or Zelle, send cash, or pay with gift cards or cryptocurrency to get your prize." The UK Gambling Commission flags "lotteries that ask you to send cash overseas, phone an international number or premium rate number". Other signs: pressure to "act now", a cheque with a request to send some of the money back, and, per Mega Millions, being told to keep your win confidential.

Verify the win yourself

Check any claimed win against the official results, reaching the lottery's website by typing its address rather than following a link. Mega Millions says winning numbers and the draw video "are posted shortly after each drawing" on its site, and that "All participating lotteries also will have the winning numbers posted on their official websites." The draw calendar is a quick test: Powerball draws on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 pm ET, and Mega Millions on Tuesday and Friday at 11 pm ET, so a message about a Powerball win in a Tuesday (US Eastern) draw describes a draw that did not happen.

theLotter publishes results too, and its Terms are candid about their status: "only the official results and prize tables of the underlying lottery operator are binding". theLotter's results pages, including its US Powerball results page and Mega Millions results page, are a convenient cross-check; the operator's own site is the authority.

If a message offers a phone number or a link to confirm the prize, do not use it. Mega Millions warns: "If you are told that you can “verify” the prize by calling a certain number, that number may be part of the scam." The FTC's advice is to "look up the real company’s contact information yourself and contact them directly." The UK Gambling Commission: "if there is a link to a website for you to click on, do not click on it".

How a licensed courier is different

A lottery courier does buy official tickets for its customers and does send win notices, so the difference has to be checked rather than assumed. Using theLotter as the example:

• You opened the account and placed the order. theLotter sends "a confirmation email at the time of ticket purchase, detailing your transaction", and a scan of the ticket is uploaded to your account. A genuine win shows in "the Wins section of your online account"; log in by typing the address yourself, not through a link in a message.
• There is a licence you can check. theLotter's operator, Lotto Direct Limited, states that it is "licensed and regulated by the Malta Gaming Authority (License: MGA/CRP/402/2017 issued on 01/08/2018)". Its Terms say you can verify the licence by selecting the MGA Dynamic Seal on its site, "consulting the MGA Licensee Register", or emailing the MGA. In Britain, the Gambling Commission says to check that a gambling business is "licensed by us or a local authority"; theLotter's footer names a Malta licence.
• The costs are in published terms. theLotter's Terms (version 2.12, last updated 15 August 2026) say "we do not charge commission on prizes credited to your Account". For prizes that must be collected physically, they allow "reasonable administrative or courier fees where third‑party services are required" and say theLotter will "disclose any such fees before collection". That is a cost set out in terms you accepted, for a ticket you ordered, disclosed before collection. The FTC's guidance does not mention couriers; a stranger demanding money before releasing a prize from a lottery you never entered fits the FTC's first sign of a scam.
• There is somewhere to complain. The Terms let customers take an unresolved complaint to eCOGRA, which they describe as "an independent Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) service", or to the Malta Gaming Authority's Player Support Unit.

Scammers borrow real names, so a familiar brand in a message proves nothing; the FTC notes that "Scammers might pretend to be from well-known companies that run real sweepstakes." For more, see is theLotter legit and what a courier's ticket scan shows.

If you have already paid or replied

Act quickly. The FTC says "No matter how you paid a scammer, the sooner you act, the better." In the US, it asks people to report prize scams at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and to contact their state attorney general and local consumer protection office. In the UK, the Gambling Commission says to report a lottery scam to Action Fraud and, if you have already sent money, to "contact your bank and the police".

Checks before you pay anyone

1. Did you buy a ticket for that draw, through an account you opened?
2. Is anyone asking you to pay before you receive the prize?
3. Do the numbers match the lottery's own website, reached by typing its address?
4. Is the payment route a wire transfer, payment app, gift card, cash or crypto?
5. Are you being rushed, or told to keep the win secret?
6. If a courier is named, does the win show when you log in directly?

Sources: FTC, Fake Prize, Sweepstakes, and Lottery Scams; Powerball FAQs and powerball.com; Mega Millions FAQs and Lottery Scams page; UK Gambling Commission lottery scam guidance (two pages); IRS Publication 515 (2026); theLotter Terms of Use v2.12, How It Works page and site footer. All as of 2 October 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Do real lotteries charge a fee to release a prize?

No. Powerball's FAQ says lotteries will never ask you to pay a fee to collect a Powerball prize, and the FTC says that if you have to pay to get your prize, it is a scam.

Will a lottery email or call me if I win?

Powerball's FAQ says lotteries will never contact you by email or telephone about a prize unless you specifically entered an official lottery promotion or contest. A courier you hold an account with notifies wins on tickets ordered through that account.

Is it legal for Americans to play a foreign lottery?

The FTC states that it is illegal for U.S. citizens to play a foreign lottery, and that messages about a foreign lottery are almost certainly from a scammer.

How can I check that a lottery courier is licensed?

Find its licence number and check it with the regulator. theLotter's operator gives MGA/CRP/402/2017 from the Malta Gaming Authority, and its Terms point to the MGA Licensee Register for verification.

Can a courier charge fees when I win?

theLotter's Terms say it charges no commission on credited prizes but may charge reasonable administrative or courier fees for physical prize collection where third-party services are required, disclosed before collection. That differs from a stranger demanding payment for a lottery you never entered.

Where can I report a lottery scam?

In the US, the FTC asks people to report at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. In the UK, the Gambling Commission directs reports to Action Fraud.