Online lottery fraud gets bigger in the state; heavy rush of 'Winners' to lottery office

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The money embezzlement through online lottery fraud is burgeoning in the state. Mostly the perpetrators are north Indian mafia gangs who deceive people to engage in scratch and win, the selection of numbers, all done behind the veil of the Kerala government's lottery scheme. The online sims used for this purpose mostly have north Indian addresses.

In a span of just one year, the Kerala cyber wing registered 76 cases regarding online lottery fraud. Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, and Kozhikode have the major share of cases. Apart from the few arrested, the police are showing lax in proceeding with the case. bookyourticket.net is one among the dubious many websites lurking behind the veil of the Kerala lottery to mint money. Most victims of the crime are from other states. The threat mostly comes via notifications to your mobile phone. A visit to the website will see the Kerala government's emblem and the QR code which tricks the victim into believing the authenticity of the website. Those who register with their mobile number can pay the lottery price through google pay or other mobile banking options. Most people get notifications about winning the prize money with proof of a lottery ticket. The same people when visiting the lottery office for their dream prize will get to know about the bigger fraud running behind the stage.

The Kerala government sells the lottery only through paper means. No such online bookings are available to date.