Archive · 2 Sep 2026
Man loses ₹3.81 lakh in alleged Kerala lottery scam
A man was told that he had won ₹8 lakh in a Kerala lottery.
The callers said he needed to pay taxes before receiving the prize.
He believed them and sent money several times.
The scammers used QR codes shared through WhatsApp.
In total, the man lost ₹3,81,300.
Later, the callers said the prize had doubled and asked for even more money.
This made the man suspect that something was wrong.
He contacted the cybercrime helpline and later filed a police complaint.
Police are investigating and trying to recover the money.
A 42-year-old man in Mangaluru was allegedly promised an ₹8 lakh Kerala lottery prize.
Fraudsters told him to pay taxes before releasing the supposed winnings.
He transferred ₹3,81,300 in several instalments between August 15 and 26.
The payments were made using Google Pay and PhonePe QR codes sent through WhatsApp.
CEN police registered a case after the victim reported the alleged cyber fraud.
- Who
- A 42-year-old man and unidentified cyber fraudsters.
- What
- The man was allegedly defrauded of ₹3,81,300 through a fake lottery-prize claim.
- When
- The alleged fraud occurred between August 14 and August 26.
- Where
- The victim was in Mangaluru, and the case was reported to the CEN Crime Police Station.
- Why
- The fraudsters allegedly claimed that taxes had to be paid to release an ₹8 lakh lottery prize.
- Victim
- 42-year-old man
- Claimed prize
- ₹8 lakh Kerala lottery prize
- Amount lost
- ₹3,81,300
- Payment period
- August 15–26
- Payment methods
- Google Pay and PhonePe QR codes sent through WhatsApp
- Helpline contacted
- Cybercrime helpline 1930
- Police action
- CEN police registered a case and launched an investigation