TL;DR: A WhatsApp message or call saying your number won a ₹25 lakh KBC or Jio lottery is a scam. Delhi Police's cyber unit says the senders, often on +92 numbers, ask for a "refundable" processing fee and GST, then keep demanding more. There is no lottery: nobody who wins a real prize is asked to pay first. Do not call back, do not pay, and report it on 1930 or the cybercrime portal.

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Some scams last for years because the story never has to change. The "KBC lottery" has been circulating since at least 2018 and keeps returning because it works on people who like the show, trust Amitabh Bachchan's face and do not check.

How the script runs

Delhi Police's cyber unit describes the KBC lottery fraud this way: WhatsApp messages arrive from unknown numbers, most starting with +92, the ISD code of Pakistan, saying your mobile number has won a ₹25 lakh lottery organised jointly by Kaun Banega Crorepati and Reliance Jio. To claim it you must contact a named "officer" on another number.

  1. The fee. The officer says you must first pay a refundable amount for processing and GST.
  2. The escalation. Once you pay, new charges appear: tax clearance, government duty, courier fees. The fraudsters insist on talking only on WhatsApp.
  3. The moving prize. In a case reported by the Daily Pioneer, a woman in Delhi was told her prize had risen from ₹25 lakh to ₹45 lakh and then ₹75 lakh, so more deposits were needed. She lost roughly ₹40 to 45 lakh across several Indian bank accounts.

How the money moves

In that Delhi case, police traced the operators to Islamabad and arrested three men in Bihar who handled bank accounts. A separate bust reported by Deccan Herald described how victims were told to deposit a percentage of the prize into an Indian account, and an accomplice in India withdrew it immediately. That is why bank accounts of "mules" matter and why reporting fast, through the 1930 fund-freeze, can help.

Signs it is fake

What to do

  1. Do not reply or call the number. Block and report it inside WhatsApp.
  2. If you paid, call your bank at once and then 1930. See the recovery guide for India for the order of steps.
  3. Warn family members, especially older parents who are common targets. Our guide to protecting aging parents suggests how to raise it.

Prize bait is one of many WhatsApp scripts; see WhatsApp scams and how to spot them and the "Guess Who" relative scam.

FAQs

Is the KBC lottery real?

No. KBC is a television quiz show and its producers have said that lottery messages on WhatsApp are fake. Real winners on the show are never asked to pay a fee to receive a prize.

Does KBC ask for a processing fee or GST?

No. The processing fee, GST and other charges in these messages are how the scammers steal money. Every payment leads to a new demand, and the prize amount is raised to keep victims paying.

Why do these messages come from +92 numbers?

Delhi Police's cyber unit says most of these WhatsApp messages start with +92, the ISD code of Pakistan. Police cases have traced the operators abroad, with local accomplices handling Indian bank accounts.

What should I do if I already paid the fee?

Call your bank immediately, then report the fraud on 1930 or the national cybercrime portal with the transaction details. Do not pay anything further, even if the prize amount is increased.

Can scammers use my number again after I reply?

Yes. Replying confirms your number is active, so expect more scam messages. Block the sender, tighten your WhatsApp privacy settings and avoid engaging with unknown numbers.

To see how visible your phone number is to the people who send these messages, try the free digital footprint checker.

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Sources

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