Does Facebook Offer Annual Lotterie Game Prizes According to Facebook, lottery scams are one of the most frequent forms of advance fee fraud. They usually start when people receive messages claiming they have won a large sum in the Facebook Lottery Program – often disguised as someone the victim knows or even pretending to be Facebook itself in order to gain credibility with victims – offering prizes worth millions and asking for personal data such as an address and bank account details from them in return.

Criminals find this scam easy to execute because people trust their social media friends. Criminals can either clone an existing account, hijack one using stolen credentials from the dark web, or impersonate Mark Zuckerberg – with these details, scammers can demand payment to claim the “prize”.

Lottery winners should be aware that reputable lottery companies do not ask winners to pay taxes, shipping and handling fees or processing fees before receiving prizes. Furthermore, prizes are only distributed after purchasing tickets; any calls from people claiming they’ve awarded you something should be immediately reported to Facebook or law enforcement.

As with any form of gambling, lotteries require license to operate legally and safely. Free draws and prize competitions do not fall within this definition according to the Gambling Act 2005; such activities can only be run for non-commercial reasons such as charitable, sporting, or cultural events. Before being promoted on Facebook pages running lotteries can be promoted; Facebook verifies them first by clicking on their blue checkmark next to their name – something which must happen before advertising can start taking place on these platforms.