Lotto scam alert
If somebody tells you that you have won and asks you to pay anything at all, it is fraud. Every time, whatever they say their office is called and whatever documents they send you.
Four things that are always true
- PCSO does not ask a winner for money. A paper ticket carries no name, so nobody can know you won before you come forward with it.
- You never pay to receive a prize. No fee, no tax payment, no processing charge, no courier charge, no refundable deposit. The 20% tax on a prize above ₱10,000 is taken from the prize when it is paid. Money never travels towards the lottery.
- A message is not a result. A screenshot, a certificate with a seal on it and a page on any website can all be made in five minutes. Check the draw against PCSO's own announcement yourself.
- Nobody knows the numbers before the draw. A "sure" or "leaked" number for sale is a scam, whoever is selling it.
What the messages look like
- A text, Messenger or Viber message saying your number won a draw you never entered. A draw you did not buy a ticket for cannot pay you.
- An image showing your name beside a large amount, with an officer to call.
- A Facebook page or group using the PCSO name or logo, offering results early, "lucky numbers" or tickets for sale.
- Somebody asking you to hand over the ticket and wait for the money later. Never let a winning ticket out of your hands until you are at the paying office.
- Anyone asking for an OTP, a GCash or Maya PIN, a card number or a bank login.
What to do
- Send no money. Not a peso, not as a test, not to be refunded later.
- Share no OTP, no PIN, no card or bank details, no ID. A real claim happens in person, with the ticket in your hand.
- Do not tap links and do not install any app they send you.
- Stop replying, take screenshots, then block the number or account.
- Tell an older relative or a neighbour. These messages are aimed at people who are alone.
How to report it
Report the message, the number and any account you were asked to pay into to the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (hotline 1326), or to the PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group. If you have already sent money, tell your bank or e-wallet at once: the sooner a transfer is reported, the better the chance of it being stopped.
You can also file a complaint at your local police station. Take the screenshots, the transaction reference and the phone number with you.
LottoResulta never contacts a winner. We do not know who buys tickets, we sell nothing, and we ask nobody for money. Any message claiming to be from us and asking for a payment is not from us. Tell us at [email protected] if you receive one.