• Fraudsters print and sell counterfeit tickets for well-known lotteries (e.g., West Bengal, Nagaland, Sikkim).
• Fake tickets are sold through offline agents, Telegram groups, and websites.
• Some victims receive calls saying they won the jackpot and must pay fees to claim their winnings.
• The fraudsters launder money through multiple fake accounts, hawala networks, or cryptocurrency.
• Police raids often seize large amounts of cash, exposing large-scale fraud operations.

3. Kolkata Businessman’s Lottery Scam (November 2024)

Steps of the Fraud:

1. Fake Lottery Ticket Printing Operation – A businessman in Kolkata was illegally printing and selling fake lottery tickets for various regional lotteries, including West Bengal, Nagaland, and Sikkim lotteries.
2. Distribution Through Agents & Online Sales – The fake tickets were distributed to unsuspecting buyers through physical agents in different cities and also sold via WhatsApp and Telegram groups.
3. False Jackpot Announcements – Some victims received calls saying they had won the jackpot and were asked to pay taxes and processing fees to claim their prizes. Others were sold fraudulent winning tickets at high prices.
4. Money Laundering & Hawala Transactions – The scam collected crores of rupees, which were moved through fake bank accounts, cryptocurrency, and hawala networks to avoid detection.
5. ED Raid & Crackdown – The Enforcement Directorate (ED) raided the businessman’s home and seized ₹3 crore in cash, along with bank records proving large-scale fraud. Several people linked to the racket were arrested.