Frauds and SuperEnalotto
Remember: you cannot win at SuperEnalotto unless you have purchased a ticket for that specific draw, and no lottery official will ever ask you to pay commissions or fees before receiving a prize.
There are various types of fraud involving SuperEnalotto, but they all have the same goal: to exploit hopes and dreams of winning big in order to defraud innocent victims. The aim of a fraud attempt is to convince you to pay non-existent fees or taxes in order to receive, according to the fraudsters, a non-existent prize; or to steal your personal details for identity theft.
How to Identify a SuperEnalotto Fraud Attempt
If you receive a winning notification that matches the following points, it is a fraud attempt:
- If you did not participate in that specific draw, you cannot have won a SuperEnalotto prize. Anyone who tells you otherwise is trying to scam you.
- To win a SuperEnalotto prize, you must have purchased a ticket for the relevant draw, and the numbers or codes on your ticket must match the winning numbers for a specific prize category.
- The SuperEnalotto operator does not award prizes by drawing phone numbers or email addresses for draws you did not participate in.
- You should never pay any "commission" in advance to claim a prize.
- Although there is a tax on winnings over €500, you do not need to pay anything before claiming a prize. When making a claim, you will already have paid the taxes through the tax withholding.
Clues to Identify a Fraud Attempt
The following clues are usually a red flag to identify whether the message you received is legitimate:
- Is there a very short deadline to claim a prize? This is a trick used by fraudsters to rush you into acting without thinking rationally or consulting someone.
- Are you told not to tell anyone about your win as a condition for claiming the prize? This is a tactic to prevent you from discussing the incident with others who might discover the scam.
- Fraudulent letters are often poorly printed on low-quality paper with a "Dear winner" salutation instead of using your real name, which could suggest it's a scam.
- A message containing spelling or grammatical errors is often a red flag, as fraudsters may not be native speakers of Italian.
What to Do if You've Received a Fraud Attempt
If you think you've been targeted by a fraudster, we recommend following these guidelines:
- DO NOT send money to the person who contacted you.
- DO NOT click any links in a suspicious email or visit any website mentioned in a potentially fraudulent letter.
- DO NOT respond to the message.
- DO NOT share your personal or banking details.
- IF you've already responded, stop any further communication immediately.
- IF you've already shared your personal or banking details with fraudsters, inform your bank and the police immediately to understand how to proceed.
- REPORT any suspicious activity to the Postal Police, who will provide further instructions on how to proceed.
The authorities are always working to stop fraudulent operations, but the best way to avoid falling victim to a scam is to stay vigilant.
Types of Fraud
A fraudulent message received via email mentioning SuperEnalotto usually contains a link that you are asked to click, but this could infect your computer with a virus or take you to a fake website that looks legitimate but collects the personal data you enter for identity theft purposes.
Consider emails from free services like Gmail, Hotmail, or Yahoo! suspicious. These email addresses can be created by anyone in a few minutes.
Cell Phone
You may receive an SMS saying that your cell phone number was drawn and won a prize in SuperEnalotto. The official operator would never organize such a promotion.
Phone Call
You may receive a phone call from someone claiming to be a lottery official, asking for your bank details or a commission payment to claim a prize. SuperEnalotto does not operate this way, and you should never share personal information with strangers calling you.
Social Networks
The fraudster sends you a message claiming your profile on Facebook, Twitter, or another social network was selected, and you’ve won a prize. You cannot play SuperEnalotto through social networks.
Letter
Attempts to defraud via regular mail often involve poorly printed letters on low-quality paper. They might call you "Dear winner" instead of using your real name, which could suggest it’s a scam.
Examples of Fraud Attempts
As players become more aware of possible fraud attempts, scammers are inventing new ways to trick players. Here are some ongoing lottery-related fraud attempts:
Second Chance
This fraud attempt (known as the “Second Chance Lottery scam” in English) is often used when the jackpot is high or has been won but, according to the fraudsters, it has not been claimed. You are told that the prize must be claimed and that you have been selected to receive it. This rule does not exist in SuperEnalotto.
Generous Winners
Some scammers spread messages in the name of famous winners, telling their victims that they have been randomly selected and that they want to share part of their prize with them. A charity organization is often mentioned, set up for this purpose. If the victim shares personal details with the fraudsters, they can later use them to commit identity theft.
Email Address Lottery
Users of certain email addresses are targeted and receive a message claiming they've won a lottery sponsored by their email provider. The official operator would never organize such a promotion.
