Powerball's billion-dollar jackpots have made it a favourite with scammers, and since the game came to the UK they've had a new story to tell. The golden rules are simple: you can't win a draw you didn't enter, and no genuine lottery asks for money to release a prize. In the UK you play Powerball with a National Lottery ticket, whose prizes Allwyn pays, or with a bet on the result placed with a company licensed by the Gambling Commission, which pays its own winnings. Here's how the common scams work, how to check a message or a website and where to report them.
The golden rules: no ticket, no prize, no fees
If you haven't bought a Powerball entry for a draw, you can't have won it. There's no email lottery, no prize draw among phone numbers or email addresses and no international promotion that picks winners who didn't play. MUSL, which runs Powerball in the US, doesn't sell tickets or contact winners, and in the UK, Powerball tickets are sold only by The National Lottery.
Even if you did play, think about how you'd actually hear. If you bought a paper ticket in a shop, The National Lottery can't know who you are until you claim. If you played online, it emails you about wins, but it never gives the prize amount in those emails, and you claim from your account without needing to click a link.
Claiming is always free. UK National Lottery prizes are tax-free, so any request for money “for tax”, “transfer fees” or “insurance” is a scam. A jackpot winner does fill in US tax forms, but only in person, at a meeting with Allwyn; any US tax that applies is taken from the prize itself before it's paid, never paid by you in advance.
The most common Powerball scams
- “You've won” messages. An email, text, letter, call or social media message says you've won Powerball, often a huge sum in dollars, and asks for a fee or your details to release it.
- Fees to release a prize. “Tax”, “clearance”, “currency conversion” or courier charges, often to be paid by bank transfer, gift cards or cryptocurrency.
- Jackpot giveaways. Fake social media accounts using the names of real jackpot winners promise to share the money with you, once you've paid a fee or sent your details.
- Fake cheques. 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.
- Fake National Lottery websites and apps. Lookalike pages that collect your login, card or bank details.
- “Guaranteed win” systems. Software, books or tips sold with a promise that you'll win. No system can predict the numbers.
“US lottery” scams aimed at UK players
Scammers love the glamour of an American jackpot. Typical messages say your email address or phone number was “selected” in a US Powerball draw, that a “claims agent” in the US is holding your prize, or that you must pay a US tax or a transfer fee before the money can be sent to the UK. All of it is false.
Here's how it really works. A National Lottery entry bought in the UK or the Isle of Man is paid by Allwyn, a share of the jackpot included, never by an American lottery or agent, and Allwyn doesn't send prizes abroad. A bet on the result is paid by the licensed company you placed it with. Nobody in the US will contact you out of the blue about a UK win, and nobody will ask you to pay to receive it.
Resellers, couriers and unlicensed sites
Some websites offer to buy American Powerball tickets for you, or sell “shares” in tickets. Whatever they promise, these aren't National Lottery entries: Allwyn won't pay a prize on them, and if anything goes wrong The National Lottery can't help. Others take bets on the result of the US draw: that's legal in Great Britain when the company is licensed by the Gambling Commission, as Lottofy is. Before you sign up anywhere, look for the licence number at the bottom of the site and check it on the Gambling Commission's public register.
Be wary, too, of strangers online offering a place in a syndicate or a share of a “winning ticket”. 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.
Fake websites, apps and phishing
Scammers build websites that look like The National Lottery's and send emails or texts with links to them, to collect your account or card details. The National Lottery's advice is to type www.national-lottery.co.uk into your browser yourself rather than follow links, and to use a strong password you don't use anywhere else. Some websites have addresses very like The National Lottery's without being run by it, so check the address before you log in or pay.
Online, National Lottery entries are sold only on its own website and app; a betting company licensed in Great Britain shows its Gambling Commission licence number on its site. Results sites, including this one, don't sell tickets or pay prizes; where to buy Powerball explains the options.
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 bought an entry for that draw from The National Lottery.
- 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, contact The National Lottery using the details on its own website, never the ones in the message.
Where to report a scam
- England, Wales and Northern Ireland: Report Fraud, the national reporting service that replaced Action Fraud, 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.
- Scam websites and adverts: the government's guide to reporting scams explains where to send them.
- If you've paid money or shared bank details, call your bank straight away. If you're in danger, call 999.
Protect your ticket and your account
Write your name and address on the back of a paper ticket: once you do, only the person named on it can claim. Don't post photos of your tickets online, and never hand a winning ticket to someone who offers to claim it for you. Online, keep your password to yourself and log out on shared devices. If you do win, the real process is explained in how to claim a Powerball prize.
Frequently asked questions
I've been told I've won the US Powerball but I didn't play. What should I do?
Ignore it: it's a scam. Don't reply or click anything; report it to Report Fraud (or Police Scotland on 101), and forward emails to [email protected] and texts to 7726.
Does The National Lottery contact Powerball winners?
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 a fee or US tax to receive a Powerball prize?
No. Claiming is free and UK National Lottery prizes are tax-free. If US tax applies to a jackpot, it's deducted from the prize itself; nobody will ask you to pay anything up front.
Is a website selling cheaper Powerball tickets genuine?
National Lottery entries cost £4 a line. Cheaper offers are usually bets on the result of the US draw or American tickets bought on your behalf, not National Lottery entries. A bet is legal when the company is licensed by the Gambling Commission, as Lottofy is: check the licence before you pay.
Where do I report a Powerball scam in the UK?
To Report Fraud at reportfraud.police.uk or on 0300 123 2040 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and to Police Scotland on 101 in Scotland.
Last reviewed: . Independent information: official results are published by the lottery that runs the game.