Identify Lottery Fraud

Have you received an unsolicited emails, letters, or telephone calls asking you to pay taxes or fees on lottery winnings? Read the fraud indicators below for tips to identify and avoid lottery fraud and scams.

Fraud Indicators

• You did not buy a ticket.
• You have never heard of the lottery game.
• You did not register your name, address, email address, phone number, and a credit card before you were allowed to buy a ticket on an online lottery web site.
• You do not live in the country and you are not a citizen of the country of that lottery.
• You are asked to pay money up front for fees or taxes in order to release your "win."
• You are told you must reply within a given time or the money will be given to someone else.

Visit the Canada Revenue Agency at www.cra.gc.ca/myths for more information on protecting yourself from this and other types of fraud.

Report Lottery Fraud

If you suspect you have received a solicitation from a fraudulent sweepstakes or lottery, you should report it to your local police department, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, or your postmaster or nearest Postal Inspector.

You can also contact Phonebusters, a central agency that collects information on telemarketing complaints throughout Canada and relays this information to the appropriate enforcement agencies. You can contact Phonebusters at 1-888-495-8501 in Canada and the United States, or online at www.phonebusters.com.