Latvia’s gaming regulator, the Lotteries and Gambling Supervisory Inspection (IAUI) has issued a warning to consumers in the country to beware of fake lotteries and online fraud—but added that it’s “virtually impossible” to identify the bogus operations.
According to the IAUI, fraudulent lotteries usually contact consumers by email or phone to tell them that they’ve won, then say they need to pre-pay taxes on their winnings, pay an account opening fee, and pay a fee to transfer their winnings, among other costs. Victims may also be contacted by a public email server like Gmail or Hotmail.
“In a state-controlled lottery, the winner will never have to pay the prize taxes or money transfer commission before receiving the prize,” the IAUI said. “Don’t send your personal data, bank account details and money to unknown people.”
