EuroMillions is one of the names scammers use most, because everyone knows the jackpots are huge. The golden rule is simple: you can't win a draw you didn't enter, and The National Lottery never asks for money to release a prize. Here's how the common scams work, how to check a message or a website and where to report them in the UK.
The golden rule: no ticket, no prize
If you haven't bought a ticket for a draw, you can't have won it. EuroMillions has no 'email lottery', no prize draw among phone numbers or email addresses and no international promotion that picks winners who didn't play.
Even if you did play, think about how you'd actually hear. If you bought a paper ticket in a shop, The National Lottery has no way of knowing who you are until you claim. If you play online, it emails you about wins, but it never gives prize amounts in those emails, and you claim from your account without needing to click a link.
Fake win notifications
The most common scam is a message saying you've won: by email, text, letter, phone call or social media. It often uses real logos, such as EuroMillions, The National Lottery, the European Union or even the United Nations, to look official. Typical warning signs:
- You're told you've won a draw you didn't enter, or a 'promotion' you never signed up for.
- You're asked to pay a fee, 'tax', insurance or a processing charge to release the prize.
- You're asked for bank details, card numbers, passwords or copies of your ID.
- There's pressure to act fast, or to keep the win secret.
- The message comes from a free email address, a mobile number or a foreign 'claims agent'.
- The spelling, grammar or amounts don't add up.
Real prizes are free to claim
No genuine lottery charges a fee to pay a prize. In the UK there isn't even tax to pay: lottery winnings are tax-free, so any request for money 'for tax' is a scam. Another classic is the fake cheque: you're sent a cheque for your 'winnings' and asked to send part of it back for fees. By the time the bank finds the cheque is worthless, your money has gone.
Spoof websites and phishing
Scammers also build fake websites that look like The National Lottery's and send emails with links to them, to collect your account details. The National Lottery's advice is to type www.national-lottery.co.uk into your browser yourself rather than follow links in emails, and to use a strong password you don't use anywhere else. It only emails from the addresses listed on its website, although scammers can make a message look as if it came from one of them.
Syndicate and 'system' scams
Be wary of strangers online offering a place in a syndicate, a share of a 'winning ticket' or a system that 'guarantees' wins. No system can predict the numbers, and a syndicate is only as trustworthy as the people running it. Play with people you know, and put the arrangement in writing; see our tips.
How to check a message
- Don't reply, click any link, call any number in the message or open attachments.
- Ask yourself whether you actually entered that draw.
- Check the results yourself on our results page or The National Lottery's website.
- If you play online, log in by typing the address yourself and look at your account.
- If you're still unsure, call The National Lottery on 0333 234 44 33, using the number from its website rather than from the message.
Where to report a scam
- England, Wales and Northern Ireland: Report Fraud, the national reporting service that replaced Action Fraud in December 2025, online or on 0300 123 2040.
- Scotland: Police Scotland, on 101.
- Scam emails: forward them to [email protected].
- Scam texts: forward them, free, to 7726.
- If you've paid money or shared bank details, call your bank straight away. If you're in danger, call 999.
Play only through official channels
In the UK, EuroMillions is sold only by The National Lottery: on its website and app and in National Lottery shops. Treat anyone else offering to sell you an entry, or a share of one, with suspicion. More in where to play EuroMillions.
Frequently asked questions
Does The National Lottery contact you if you win EuroMillions?
Only if you played online, and then by email, without the prize amount. If you bought a ticket in a shop, it can't know you've won until you claim.
Do I have to pay anything to claim a EuroMillions prize?
No. Real prizes are free to claim, and UK lottery winnings are tax-free. Any request for a fee is a scam.
I've been told I've won EuroMillions but I didn't play. What should I do?
Ignore it: it's a scam. Don't reply or click anything, and report it to Report Fraud (or Police Scotland on 101), forward emails to [email protected] and texts to 7726.
Where do I report a lottery scam in the UK?
To Report Fraud (formerly Action Fraud) at reportfraud.police.uk or on 0300 123 2040 if you live in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, and to Police Scotland on 101 in Scotland.
Is there a 'EuroMillions International Lottery'?
No. EuroMillions is only sold by the national lotteries of the nine participating countries, and none of them pick winners from people who didn't buy a ticket.
Last reviewed: . Independent information: official results are published by the lottery that runs the game.