Thiruvananthapuram | The Kerala Police on Wednesday cautioned the public against fake online lottery scams which were being carried out in the state on social media by misusing the official name, symbol, logo and design of the Kerala Lottery website.

Giving details of how the scams are carried out, the State Police Media Centre (SPMC) said that people are first attracted through "tempting" advertising slogans like 'Mega Bumper Dhamaka Offer', '25 crore prize', 'Kerala Lottery Online Booking', etc.

"When the link in the advertisement is clicked, it takes a person to WhatsApp groups or fake websites which use the name, government symbol and logo of the Kerala State Lottery," a SPMC statement said.

To gain trust of their targets, some lottery numbers projected as the winning digits are published, it said.

Later, the person is asked to provide their mobile number to check the result and after doing so, a fake congratulatory message is sent to them showing that they have won a prize.

Subsequently, personal information such as name, bank account number, IFSC code, Aadhaar number are requested to receive the prize money, the SPMC said.

The scamsters also show a fake lottery registration letter prepared using government letterhead and logo and demand money towards registration fee, processing charges, GST, tax clearance, security deposit, etc, it said.

Advising the public to be cautious, the police have asked them to keep in mind that online purchase and sale of lottery tickets is completely prohibited in Kerala.

"Do not trust lottery advertisements and links received through social media platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Telegram.

"Do not book tickets or pay money on fake websites operating in the name of Kerala State Lottery," it said.

It further said that if money is sought for registration fee, processing charges, GST, tax clearance, security deposit, etc. to receive the prize amount, "then it is a scam".

It also advised the public against sharing information like bank account number, debit/credit card details, OTP, UPI PIN, Aadhaar number etc. with strangers.

"If you are a victim of this type of online fraud, immediately contact the cyber helpline number 1930 or the cyber crime reporting portal www.cybercrime.gov.in," the SPMC said.