WhatsApp KBC Fraud: Don't fall prey to lottery offer promising Rs 25 lakhs; this is what police says

Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) has been close to the hearts of Indians. The show has gained widespread praise and is a must-watch for many Indian households. While a player of the show takes along the winning amount, the show also offers its viewers to play along by answering questions asked during the show.

However, scammers and fraudsters from across India and Pakistan have cheated many people by misusing the show's credibility. They have a set pattern through which they dupe people.

These cyber fraudsters often send a WhatsApp message promising a lottery of Rs 25 lakhs to lure their targets. They claim to be from the KBC Online Lottery department. The scammers tempt their targets to call on a given number and then defraud them of their hard-earned money. Recently, a man from Hyderabad fell prey to such an offer and lost over Rs 3 lakhs. In another instance, Delhi Police arrested two people in June this year for cheating over 100 people using the fake KBC lottery scheme.

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How does this fraud take place?
In this cyber fraud done under the KBC lottery scheme, the fraudsters send WhatsApp messages to victims from unknown numbers (most of them starting with +92, the ISD Code of Pakistan) claiming that their mobile number has won a lottery jointly organized by Kaun Banega Crorepati. They place logos of Reliance Jio and even State Bank of India in the WhatsApp message while promising a lottery worth Rs 25 lakhs. Then they ask their target to contact some person whose number is provided in the same WhatsApp message in order to claim that lottery.

If the victims call on the given number, the fraudster asks them to first pay a refundable processing fee/GST/enrollment fee to claim the lottery. If the victims make the first transaction, they keep demanding more money on one pretext or another.  

If the fraudsters sense that the victims have grown suspicious, then they claim that the lottery amount has been increased. They stop communication if the victims start demanding their money in return.

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'Safety Precautions'
Any message promising lottery prize, whether from KBC or any other organisation, is a fraud in all likelihood. How can you win a lottery out of nowhere?

One can identify such messages from poor drafting, numerous grammatical errors and lack of official communication links.

ये फ़र्ज़ी है, #KBC फ़्रॉड है। इस तरह की कोई लॉटरी स्कीम नहीं है। देखने से ही उठाईगिरे का काम लगता है। क़तई इनके जाल में ना फँसे, लूट लेंगे। pic.twitter.com/A5gJyRmN7G

— State Crime Branch, Haryana (@SCBHaryana) September 18, 2022

If you have purchased a lottery and are waiting for its result, then you should trust only the official sites. Any genuine lottery will properly explain the tax component and other charges to be deducted from the winning amount.