SuperEnalotto Scams
Remember – you cannot win SuperEnalotto if you did not purchase a ticket for the draw in question and no official lottery operator will ask you to send fees or payments before giving you your prize.
SuperEnalotto scams take on a number of different forms, but they all hope to capitalise on people’s hopes and dreams of winning the jackpot in order to defraud their unsuspecting victims. The aim of each scam is to either persuade you to send money in the form of bogus processing fees or tax payments before, they insist, you can claim a fake prize, or to gain your personal information so they can commit identity theft.
How to Identify a SuperEnalotto Scam
Remember these fundamental rules about winning a prize in SuperEnalotto:
- If you did not buy a ticket for the draw mentioned, you cannot win a prize. Anyone who tries to advise you otherwise is trying to scam you.
- To win a prize, you must have purchased a ticket for the draw date in question, and the numbers or raffle code on your ticket must match the numbers or raffle code drawn to win the relevant prize.
- The operator of SuperEnalotto does not offer prizes based on your mobile phone number or email address being randomly selected in a draw that you did not enter.
- You do not need to pay any type of ‘fee’ upfront to claim a prize.
- Although tax is due on prize amounts exceeding €500, you do not have to pay tax prior to collecting a prize. When you claim through the official process, you are paid your prize with tax already deducted.
Clues to Identify a Scam
These points are usually a good indication that the message you have received is not genuine:
- Is there a strict, short time limit on making your claim? This is a method used by the scammers to rush you into acting without thinking it through rationally or seeking advice.
- Does the notification insist you keep the win confidential as a condition of paying your prize? This is to deter you from mentioning it to someone who could expose the scam.
- Scam letters are often on poor quality, photocopied letterhead (although some will include a genuine business address in an attempt to make it look legitimate). It is worth remembering that not all scam letters are of a low quality; scammers are constantly updating and improving their methods so their messages may look more legitimate.
- Poor spelling or grammar in a message is often the sign of a scam because for some scammers, this may not be their native language.
What to Do if You Have Received a Scam
If you think you have been targeted by a scam, you are advised to follow these guidelines:
- DO NOT send money to the person who contacted you
- DO NOT open links in suspicious-looking emails or visit websites listed in potential scam letters
- DO NOT reply to the message sender
- DO NOT give out any personal or financial information
- IF you have already contacted the scammer, stop all communication immediately
- IF you have already given them personal or financial information, inform the police and your bank immediately for further guidance
- REPORT any suspicious activity to the Polizia Postale who will provide further information and advice on how to proceed
Law enforcement agencies are constantly working to shut down these scam operations, however the best way to avoid becoming a victim is to always be vigilant.
Types of SuperEnalotto Scam
Email scams may demand you click a link that could infect your computer with a virus or redirect you to a phishing site that looks official, but instead collects the personal information you input and sends it to the scammers.
Watch out for emails sent from free email providers like Gmail, Hotmail and Yahoo. Email addresses from these providers can be setup by anyone in a matter of minutes.
Mobile
Your mobile phone receives a text message informing you that your number has been randomly selected to win a SuperEnalotto prize. The official operator would never organise such a promotion.
Phone
A phone scam involves you receiving a call from someone claiming to be from the lottery, asking you to provide your bank details or pay a fee in order to claim a prize. SuperEnalotto does not work in this manner and you should never divulge private information to an unknown caller.
Social Media
The scammer sends a direct message, informing you that your Facebook profile, Twitter feed or other social media account has been selected to win an award. You cannot enter SuperEnalotto through social media.
Letter
Postal scams are often poorly printed, on low quality paper. They may refer to you as ‘Dear Winner’ rather than by your name, which is usually a sign that it is a scam.
Examples of SuperEnalotto Scams
With people becoming more aware of how lottery scams work, fraudsters are concocting increasingly creative methods to try and deceive their victims. Here are several examples of lottery scams currently circulating:
Second Chance Lottery/Raffle
The second chance lottery scam often follows a big rollover or a jackpot win that the scammers insist has not been claimed. They tell you that the prize has to be won and that you were drawn in a raffle to receive it. There is no such policy in the rules of SuperEnalotto.
Lottery Winner Trusts
Some scammers send emails pretending to be a publicised lottery winner, claiming they have chosen the victim at random to be the recipient of a portion of their fortune. It is often referred to as a charitable donation from a trust that they have set up. When the victim reveals their personal details, the scammer will then try and use them to commit identity theft.
Email Provider Lottery
Users of certain email accounts are targeted under the guise of having won a lottery prize sponsored by their email provider. The official operator would never organise such a promotion.
