At least $983k lost to online 'lucky draw' scams since January: Police

In the first seven months of 2026, at least $983,000 have been lost to a scam which tricked victims into believing that they had won online "lucky draws".

In a statement on Friday (July 31), police warned against the scam, saying that at least 254 cases have been reported so far.

Victims were told they had to pay for various "fees" to claim their winnings from participating in quizzes, livestream scratch card or lottery promotions.

One modus operandi involved the impersonation of a popular Malaysian influencer, said police.

Scammers created Facebook posts or short-form videos that appeared to originate from the influencer, which promoted a quiz with a cash prize.

Victims were asked to contact the influencer via WhatsApp or to provide their contact details. 

Once engaged, victims were told they had won, and asked to pay "processing fees", "admin fees", or other fabricated charges.

In some cases, a second scammer claiming to be from Maybank would ask the victim for additional transfers, saying that the money was "stuck" or an "activation fee" was required.

Another variant of the scam promoted scratch cards or lottery tickets on Facebook livestreams.

These streams are often linked to "China lottery" draws and operate under Chinese usernames, according to the police.

Victims were persuaded to purchase the cards or tickets and later told they had won a large cash prize.

To receive the winnings, they had to pay "administrative fees" via PayNow to a LiquidPay account.

Police urged members of the public not to transfer funds to any individuals whose identities are not verified.

The public should adopt the ACT (Add, Check, Tell) framework, which includes adding the ScamShield app and enabling security features.

For more information on scams, the public may call the ScamShield Helpline at 1799 or visit ScamShield's website.

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