Fraud Newsletter June 2026

FIFA World Cup Lottery Scam

Sussex Police have been made aware of reports from residents receiving letters claiming they have won a FIFA World Cup Lottery. These are fraudulent scams.

Do not respond to any communication (letter, phone call, text, or message) about a FIFA World Cup Lottery or similar schemes.

Two separate cases in East Sussex and West Sussex involved individuals receiving a letter claiming that they had won £900,000 in the “International FIFA World Cup Lottery”. Marked as sent from Switzerland, the letter included a contact name, along with a London address and a telephone number to call for the prized to be claimed. In one case, a follow up letter was received, explaining that a small clearance fee of 0.01% would be required before the cheque could be released, along with a photocopy of the said cheque. This detail was reaffirmed when the victim phoned the number provided, then being told they would call back with instructions on how to make the payment.

Fortunately, both individuals became aware that this is a scam tactic and escaped from being defrauded.

Warning Signs of the Scam:

• You are told you have won a lottery you never entered
• Requests for fees or bank details to release a “prize”
• Pressure to act quickly or keep the win confidential
• References to locations such as Switzerland or London that are fake or misused
• Letters are highly personalised (your name printed throughout, fake certificates/cheques)
• Use of official-looking logos, seals, and financial-style language
• Claims of “guaranteed” or “100% genuine” winnings with exact amounts
• Signed by supposed officials with senior titles

What to do?

• Ignore and do not engage
• Do not share personal or financial information
• For genuine FIFA-related products or promotions, only use official sources - FIFA | The Home of Football

Example of scam letter:

Phone number Spoofing

‘Spoofing’ software is being increasingly used by criminals to conceal their real caller ID, mirroring the phone number of a legitimate organisation instead.

This calls or text messages appear as though they are coming from a trusted organisation like the police, banks or government agencies.

These scam calls may be automated, or from a real person. Their main goal is to trick you into sharing personal information or to transfer money.

In Surrey Police and Sussex Police, we have seen multiple examples of where this tactic has been used in phone call and text format. In one of several similar examples, an elderly victim in Woking was targeted by fraudulent text messages appearing to come from Lloyds bank. In total, the victim lost £17,000 to fraudsters. Reports of this nature have been received across both counties, with victims receiving phone calls from bank impersonators, Police and other Government Officials.

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