Fact Check: Is KBC & Reliance Jio offering Rs 25 Lakh as lottery prize? PIB clarifies

Scamsters have once again resorted to the popular game show Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) for duping people. The fraudsters are trying to scam people through phone calls, text messages and emails claiming that they have won Rs 25 lakh in a lottery jointly organised by KBC and Reliance Jio.

"There is good news for you. Your number has won Rs 25 lakh lottery which has been sponsored by KBC and Jio department," the poster, which carries pictures of PM Narendra Modi, Amitabh Bachchan and Mukhesh Ambani, claimed. It also asked people to contact via WhatsApp. 

In response, the PIB Fact Check handle called it fake and urged users to beware of such lottery scams. "Do not share your personal information on such calls, emails and messages," it further suggested.

The government's fact check handle also shared a link to Delhi Police's Cyber Cell. The police said that most of these frauds are being run from Pakistan from numbers (most of them starting with +92, the ISD Code of Pakistan).

"When the victim contacts on the mentioned number to claim the amount, the fraudster tells him/her that they need to first pay a certain refundable amount towards the processing of the lottery as well as GST, etc. Once the victim deposits that money, they start demanding more on one pretext or another. The fraudsters insist on communicating only through WhatsApp. They induce the victim to deposit money in various bank accounts and the entire fraud goes on for several weeks and even months for as long as they can keep inducing the victim to deposit money," Cyber cell.

To keep victims engaged and interested, the scammers tell victims that the lottery prize has been increased to Rs 45 lakh, then to Rs 75 lakh and more. When the victim refuses to pay more or insists on getting the money, the fraudsters stop calling and discontinue the WhatsApp number that was being used in the fraud.

In case you come across any such fraud, Delhi Police advises to collect documentary evidence such as screenshots, bank transaction statements, etc and lodge a complaint at the nearest police station.