Thiruvananthapuram | Keralam Chief Minister V D Satheesan on Wednesday warned of stringent action against the sale of fake lottery tickets through social media using AI technology, saying the fraud was causing huge losses to the government exchequer.

Satheesan was replying to a submission in the state Assembly by Congress MLA Sumesh Achuthan, who sought government intervention to curb the illegal practice, under which the same lottery ticket is sometimes sold to multiple people through social media.

He said such activities were hurting the lottery sector and causing hardship and financial losses to lottery workers and the public.

"It is turning into a major lobby and a serious crime. It is predominantly prevalent in districts like Palakkad," he said, assuring the House that the Lottery Department and the police were taking strict action against those involved.

Satheesan said the Lottery Regulation Act provided for imprisonment of up to two years for such offences.

"A major scam is underway, with fake lottery tickets being widely sold. People are deceived into believing they are genuine through the use of artificial intelligence, and small prizes are paid out to them. However, when someone wins a big prize, the fraudster switches off his phone.

"The government will take stringent steps to bring all these fraudsters to justice. This is causing huge losses to the government exchequer," he said.