Hyderabad pensioner loses ₹3.18 lakh in fake lottery scam

A 76-year-old retired employee from Hyderabad lost ₹3.18 lakh in a Facebook lottery scam after falling for a fake advertisement posted as a Kerala government lottery offer.

The victim, who was scrolling through Facebook, clicked on an advertisement offering Kerala government Lottery tickets. The click redirected him to a WhatsApp number, where the ‘seller’ took over with tall promises. “Claiming a grand lottery event was under way in Kerala, one that the Kerala government genuinely conducts annually, the fraudster convinced the pensioner to purchase three tickets,” said an officer from the Cyber Crimes Police.

A few days later, the victim received a message informing him that two of his tickets had apparently been drawn, winning prizes of ₹5 lakh and ₹12 lakh, respectively. “The pensioner was then told he needed to pay a series of charges, including a ‘refundable tax’, before his winnings could be released. Each payment came with the sweetened promise that it would be returned along with the prize money,” explained the officer.

The victim made multiple transfers to various accounts. It was only when further demands for money were made, and the fraudsters eventually went silent, that the grim reality dawned upon him. An online complaint was promptly filed, detailing a total loss of ₹3,18,148.

In the wake of the incident, Cyber Crime Police have issued a fresh advisory warning citizens to be on high alert against fake Kerala lottery schemes, particularly those advertised via Facebook and WhatsApp.

The advisory says that suspicious links should be avoided and unknown WhatsApp numbers should never be trusted. Anyone encountering such fraud is urged to report it immediately by calling 1930 or visiting www.cybercrime.gov.in. In urgent cases, victims can also contact 8712665171 via call or WhatsApp.