NLA cautions Ghanaians against lotto fraudsters

The National Lottery Authority (NLA) has cautioned the general public against the operations and activities of lotto fraudsters who use “different platforms and communication strategies to dupe unsuspecting Ghanaians.”

According to the NLA, the lotto fraudsters and social media miscreants use channels including television and radio stations, as well as online platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook, text messages, emails and telephone calls to swindle their victims.

In a statement signed by its Public Relations Unit, the NLA said: “The lotto fraudsters and social media miscreants have defrauded a lot of unsuspecting people through several Facebook accounts/pages, WhatsApp platforms and other social media handles they have created using the name and logo of the National Lottery Authority (NLA) in different formats”.

They also use pictures of the Director-General of the NLA, Mr Kofi Osei-Ameyaw, as well as pictures and images of NLA staff to carry out their trade.

“The lotto fraudsters and social media miscreants are able to convince greedy people who want to be rich overnight to make mobile money transfers to them in exchange for winning lotto numbers”, the statement added.

The NLA said it has neither “authorised nor appointed any individual or group of individuals to offer winning lotto numbers to the public”, adding: “Lottery is a game of chance and it is very impossible to foretell winning numbers before draws”.

“The Authority does not have Facebook accounts/pages, the Authority has not created any WhatsApp groups, the Authority does not have a Twitter handle, the Authority has not designed a registration form for the public to register for winning lotto numbers, the outcome of draws are conducted in a very open and transparent manner and it is always open to the public for witnessing at 6:30 p.m. daily for original 5/90; and 7:30 a.m. daily for NLA VAG Lotto, except on Sundays and public holidays and it is absolutely false that NLA staff, lotto fraudsters and social media miscreants have access to winning lotto numbers.”

It further continued that the Director-General of the NLA is “not on Facebook and other social media platforms” and the NLA “shall not be responsible for any losses incurred by unsuspecting people who are defrauded by these lotto fraudsters and social media miscreants.”

The NLA added that it would “like to urge the public to be more vigilant, avoid greed and discontinue engaging the services of the lotto fraudsters and social media miscreants”.

It also appealed to “the Ghana Police Service and other security agencies to help” the Authority “in curtailing the activities and operations of the lotto fraudsters and social media miscreants.”