Winners Don’t Pay — Learn to Protect Yourself From Lottery Frauds

This blog will educate you about the different types of lottery frauds, preventive measures, and reliable sources of finding information about Meesho.

Who wouldn’t want to win a luxurious car, grand cash prize, or a free vacation to an exotic place? The idea of winning a lottery seems exciting. However, you need to take appropriate measures to check the genuineness of the sender. Otherwise, fraudsters can take undue advantage of your eagerness to claim the reward. This blog will educate you about the different types of lottery frauds, preventive measures, and reliable sources of finding information about Meesho.

While technology makes our lives easier; it is also being used by fraudsters to dupe people of their money.

Fraudsters have started targeting consumers through WhatsApp messages, emails, phone calls, etc.

Lottery fraud (also known as “advance fee fraud”) is one such fraud. Lottery frauds have been used to trap people for a long time and continue to be used to trap people even today. The ways and the nature of the execution of this crime has changed over the past few years. Not only posts but text messages, phone calls, and emails are being used to extract money or sensitive data.

Typically in a lottery fraud, a recipient is informed that they have won an enormous amount or a “too good to be true” reward. An unbelievable reward generates excitement and curiosity. To claim the prize the recipient is asked to deposit a transfer or processing fee like TDS or GST or courier charges in advance i.e., before disbursement of prize money. The fraudsters might also ask for personal details such as Aadhaar card number, bank account details, debit/credit card information, digital wallet details, OTP, etc. As soon as the data is shared or funds transferred, the fraudsters’ become unreachable. They take off with the money.

Sometimes they might come back with the promise of a bigger reward and continue to trick the recipient.

They might also pretend to be a representative of Meesho or send you a fake post/letter/email/photos that appears legitimate. You should be aware that Meesho does not send posts/emails/text messages or make phone calls related to lucky draw or lottery contests. We also don’t ask for money transfers through links. If you find yourself in such a situation, be careful and refrain from sharing any information.

Types of Lottery Frauds

Lottery frauds might vary depending upon the targeted persona and platform. Below are the two commonly occurring lottery scams observed by Meesho:

Scratch card

Fraudsters share scratch cards with customers via physical posts/ WhatsApp messages/SMS. They attach a form with it, urging the user to share bank account or personal details and pay some applicable taxes, token/processing fee in advance to claim the reward.

Fraudsters often use advanced technology to make their message appear legitimate and genuine . They can potentially add fake signatures of the CEO or company or some bankstamp or may share fake aadhaar/pan card impersonating as our employees. It is important to note that these impersonators have no connection or association with Meesho and these fake scratch cards/lottery tickets etc., are not offered by Meesho in any form or manner.

Lucky Draw Contests

It is one of the most common types of a lottery ticket scam.

Fraudsters create a setup of a lucky draw contest. They reach out to their target through a physical post/letters or a text message.

The message conveys to the recipient that they have won a lucky draw contest. But to claim the reward, they must share their bank information and transfer a processing fee or pay applicable taxes on the lottery amount in advance i.e., before disbursement of prize money.

What to do when you receive a fake lottery message?

We strongly advise you to not transfer any fee/amount or share your personal data or sensitive data including bank details such as OTP, UPI/ATM PIN, CVV or credit/debit card details to anyone claiming to be a Meesho’s representative.

You can also receive such fake communication through email, text message or a physical post. Refrain from transferring funds or sharing any details.

You can report such incidents to us at legalsupport@meesho.com.

Preventive Measures

You can outsmart a fraudster if you keep yourself aware of the common tactics used by them in such scams. Below are the measures you can take to effectively prevent lottery scam

• Meesho never asks for OTPs or personal information (name, phone number, email, bank details) over calls/emails/posts. Additionally, you will never be contacted personally by Meesho about unauthorised offers, lotteries, contests, schemes, or be requested for money for such participation. If you get a call/message where you are being asked for such details, it is best to not entertain such communication.
• Avoid paying any money or deposit funds to any person wrongfully claiming to be Meesho’s representative or job consultant(s). Neither Meesho nor any of its representative or authorized recruitment consultants take money or any other kind of payment for employment at Meesho or for enrollment on the Supplier panel of Meesho.
• The caller might ask you to click on an unknown link. By clicking on the link you are at a risk of sharing your personal information. Be cautious about such situations.
• Do not pay fees for any prizes or rewards or lotteries offered on your phone
• Never respond to links asking you to update your user account or password.
• Report such suspicious activity to Meesho’s legal support at legalsupport@meesho.com

Where to Find Reliable Information about Meesho?

We love to connect with you and update you about our offers, sale events, and more. Following are the official sources of accessing information about Meesho -

Website — You can shop and access the latest updates and information on https://meesho.com/. It is our official website where you can find trusted information about Meesho.

App Communication — We actively communicate with our users through our app. It is in the form of push notifications, community announcements, and more. You can also use the help section in the app to resolve your queries/complaints.

Official App Download Links Of Meesho: Android iOS

User Support — In a case of a fraud or scam, you can reach out to us at legalsupport@meesho.com, for further clarity from our side.

Meesho social media account — We also update you about our exciting events and offers through our social media accounts.

You can connect with us on -

Official Instagram Pages of Meesho: meeshoapp lifeatmeesho

Official Twitter Account of Meesho: @Meesho_Official

Official Medium Account of Meesho: meesho-tech

Ending Notes

Meesho takes strong measures in ensuring the safety of its users. We take strict actions against fraudsters. However, to further prevent the occurrences of such fraudulent cases we need our users to act cautiously.

For more information please take a look at our policy on anti phishing.