Lottery and sweepstakes scam

Lottery and sweepstakes scam is a fraud pattern in which scammers deceive victims through a repeatable, often scripted approach. The variant explained on this page differs from generic phishing in the social-engineering hook it uses.

Pressure to act fast, requests for gift cards, wire transfers, Zelle, or crypto, refusal to meet in person or video call, secrecy ("don't tell your bank"), and stories that escalate every time you push back.

Stop responding. Save every message, screenshot every transaction. Do not click any "verify" or "release funds" link. Report to ScamGuard so the next victim gets warned, then file with the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov and IC3 at ic3.gov.

Sometimes. Speed matters more than anything. Wire transfers can be recalled within ~24 hours via SWIFT recall. Zelle, Venmo, Cash App, and crypto are nearly impossible to reverse — but you should still file the report; banks occasionally cover losses under Reg E for unauthorized transactions.

Yes — in every US state and most countries. It is a federal wire fraud offense in the US (18 U.S.C. § 1343), with sentences up to 20 years. Reporting matters because aggregated reports trigger active investigations.