If you paid someone to release a supposed lottery prize, stop sending money and contact the financial institution that handled your payment. Save the messages and receipts, then report the incident through official Canadian channels. A second payment described as a refund fee, tax clearance or recovery charge can create another loss.
Prepared for FreeSpin Review with AI assistance using the official sources below. Sources checked: 21 October 2026. This is a practical reporting checklist, not a money-recovery service.
First, separate a prize claim from a payment demand
The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre describes prize fraud as an unexpected win followed by a demand to pay a fee or buy something before receiving it. Messages can arrive by phone, email, social media or other channels. Gift cards and money-transfer services are among the payment methods used. Read the CAFC prize-fraud warning.
OLG states that it does not charge customers a payment to claim a prize. An unsolicited request for taxes or fees to release supposed OLG winnings should therefore be treated as a warning, not a normal prize-claim step. Contact OLG independently before sharing more information. OLG’s player-protection guidance explains this distinction.
If you have not paid and are still checking a message, use our OLG scam-email identification guide. The steps below are for someone who has already sent money or information.
Who to contact and what to prepare
| Contact | Purpose | Have ready |
|---|---|---|
| Your payment provider or bank | Report the transaction and ask what options apply | Payment date, amount and transaction reference |
| Local police | Report suspected fraud and obtain a file number | A short timeline and copies of evidence |
| Canada’s fraud-reporting service | Submit the incident through the official reporting channel | Sender details, messages and payment records |
| OLG, if its name or a ticket was involved | Ask OLG to assess the suspected lottery fraud | The claimed prize and how you were contacted |
The CAFC’s victim guidance recommends gathering records, notifying the financial institution that transferred the money, contacting local police and reporting the incident. Its page links to the official Report Cybercrime and Fraud service. Keep your police file number for subsequent updates.
Make a short incident note before the call
Use this worksheet to keep the conversation clear. It is an organizational aid, not an official form:
- Contact: When did the first message arrive, and through which channel?
- Claim: Which lottery or organization did the sender say they represented?
- Request: What reason did they give for asking for money?
- Payment: What did you send, when, and through which provider?
- Exposure: Did you also share a password, identification document or account details?
- Evidence: Where are the original messages, receipts and transaction references saved?
Keep original records. Do not publish identity documents or full financial details in a public comment while asking for help. You can describe the situation without exposing the evidence itself.
If you shared identity information
Tell the organizations you contact about the information involved, not only the money. For identity fraud, the CAFC advises account flags, password changes and reporting to both Equifax and TransUnion. Its victim page also directs readers to the relevant issuer for lost, stolen or misused identity documents.
Do not pay someone who promises to recover the loss
The CAFC warns that fraud victims can be targeted again. A new caller may claim to have found your money, impersonate police or the CAFC, or ask for an advance payment to release a refund. Logos, official-looking letters and knowledge of your earlier loss do not establish that the contact is genuine.
Do not give an unknown caller remote access to your device or pay an advance fee to obtain a refund. Verify unexpected contacts independently. See the CAFC recovery-pitch warning. No recovery outcome is promised by this checklist.
Fraud reporting is different from a delayed withdrawal complaint
A suspicious prize-payment demand and a dispute with an existing gambling account require different information. If your issue is an account withdrawal rather than an unsolicited prize, our Ontario complaints guide explains the complaint route. For an OLG document-approval question, see OLG bank verification.
FreeSpin Review is an independent information website, not OLG, a bank, a regulator or a recovery agency. It does not accept fraud reports or handle prize claims. Gambling should not be used to recover lost money; our responsible-gambling resources provide further support information.
If your payment used Interac e-Transfer, use our pending or missing e-Transfer checklist to record the bank status and transfer reference before contacting your financial institution. A pending notification is not a reason to send another payment.