Lottery fraud occurs when scammers trick individuals into believing they have won a lottery or prize, and they need to pay fees or provide personal information to claim their supposed winnings. These scams often come in the form of emails, phone calls, or social media messages, where the fraudster claims the victim has won a large sum of money. The fraudster then convinces the victim to send money for taxes, processing fees, or other costs before the supposed prize can be “released.” In most cases, the victim never receives any prize, and the money they send is simply stolen.