Avoid the "International Official Lottery" scam

What is "International Official Lottery"?

"International Official Lottery" is a phishing scam promoted on various deceptive websites. It is presented as an online lottery, which users supposedly take part simply by entering the scam web page.

Once users attempt to collect their winnings, however, they are redirected to different websites, which steal the information entered into them (e.g. credit card and digital wallet details, email addresses and telephone numbers).

Most visits to these deceptive/scam pages occur via redirects caused by intrusive advertisements or Potentially Unwanted Applications (PUAs) already infiltrated into the system.

When accessed, the scam claims that it is an "International Official Lottery", the broadcast of which has been simplified due to an unstable internet connection. It is stated that a ticket has been registered for regular users. The numbers of this ticket match with those drawn, hence users have won a large sum of money.

When the "CONTACT THE PRIZE CENTER >>" button is clicked, another page is displayed. Within this, users must select the chosen payout method (e.g. transfer to a bank card/internet wallet or cash transfer via shipping services). Collecting the prize at the prize issue center is allegedly impossible, since the winning amount is too small.

Both of the available methods have transfer/shipping fees. After one of these is selected, people are asked to provide the legitimate information in two different web pages (e.g. their credit card and/or digital wallet details, email addresses and telephone numbers), however, rather than having the fake prize transferred to them, they have their private information stolen.

This can lead to various serious issues. For example, the scammers can use credit card and digital wallet details to make online purchases and fraudulent transactions. To summarize, trusting scams such as "International Official Lottery" can lead to financial loss and serious privacy issues.

PUAs can force-open not just deceptive/scam sites, but also sale-based, untrusted, rogue, compromised and malicious sites. These applications also have additional capabilities. They can deliver intrusive advertisements (e.g. banners, coupons, surveys, pop-ups, etc.), which reduce browsing speed and web page visibility.

Furthermore, once clicked, intrusive ads can redirect to similarly harmful websites and stealthily download/install rogue software (e.g. PUAs). Other unwanted app can hijack browsers and restrict/deny access to settings to promote fake search engines. Most PUAs can track data.

They can monitor browsing activity (URLs visited, web pages viewed, search queries typed, etc.) and gather personal information (IP addresses, geolocations and other details). This vulnerable data is often shared with third parties, seeking to misuse it for profit.

In summary, the presence of PUAs on systems can lead to various infiltration and infections, financial loss, serious privacy concerns and even identity theft. To ensure device/user safety, remove all dubious applications and browser extensions/plug-ins without delay.

Threat Summary:

Name	International Official Lottery pop-up
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud.
Fake Claim	Scam claims it is an international lottery and users have won a prize.
Related Domains	officialsite0304[.]buzz
Detection Names (officialsite0304[.]buzz)	Kaspersky (Phishing), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal)
Serving IP Address (officialsite0304[.]buzz)	190.115.19.10
Symptoms	Fake error messages, fake system warnings, pop-up errors, hoax computer scan.
Distribution methods	Compromised websites, rogue online pop-up ads, potentially unwanted applications.
Damage	Loss of sensitive private information, monetary loss, identity theft, possible malware infections.
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"2020 Web Research Survey", "You've Made The 5-billionth Search", and "$1000 VISA Gift Card" are some examples other schemes similar to "International Official Lottery". Popular scam models include (but are not limited to) prize giveaways, "amazing" offers and deals, alerts that software is outdated/missing, and warnings that the system is infected or at risk.

These schemes are used to trick people into providing their personal information, paying fake fees, calling fraudulent and expensive support/service lines, downloading/installing and/or purchasing untrusted or malicious content.

How did potentially unwanted applications install on my computer?

PUAs are proliferated via the download/installation set-ups of other products. This deceptive marketing technique of pre-packing regular software with unwanted or malicious additions is called "bundling".

By rushing through download/installation processes (e.g. ignoring terms, skipping steps and sections, using pre-set options, etc.), many users risk unintentionally allowing bundled content onto their devices. Some PUAs have "official" promotional sites from which they can be downloaded. Intrusive ads also proliferate these apps.

When clicked, they can execute scripts designed to download/install PUAs without users' permission.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications

You are strongly advised to research all software and download it only from official and verified sources. Untrustworthy download channels such as unofficial and free file-hosting websites, P2P sharing networks (BitTorrent, eMule, Gnutella, etc.) and other third party downloaders can offer deceptive and/or bundled content.

When downloading/installing, read the terms, study all available options, use the "Custom/Advanced" settings and opt-out of additional apps, tools, features, etc. Intrusive advertisements rarely seem suspicious - they often seem normal and innocuous - however, they can redirect to dubious web pages (e.g. gambling, pornography, adult-dating and others).

If you encounter these ads/redirects, inspect the system and immediately remove all suspect applications and browser extensions/plug-ins. If your computer is already infected with PUAs, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate them.

Text presented in the main page of the "International Official Lottery" scam:

I n t e r n a t i o n a l   O f f i c i a l    L o t t e r y
OFFICIAL ANNIVERSARY LOTTERY SITE
RANDOM NUMBER GENERATOR MOVES №750783/2
Participating tickets 63 911...
GRAND PRIZE 325 850 640 DOLLARS!!!
Simplified form of broadcast of the draw due to unstable Internet connection
YOUR GIFT TICKET IS REGISTERED
57 62 21 7 66 81 74 16 1 32 34 52 14 33 36 38 41 45
49 75 2 40 36 89 55 10 43 19 90 11
Ticket
№443789221
Ticket issue registered by the drawing commission
TOTAL WINNING AMOUNT

Screenshot of the drawn numbers:

Screenshot of the page announcing that users have won:

Text presented in this page:

STOP GAME
winning tickets: 219
IN YOUR TICKET 4 GUESSED NUMBERS
+ combination "SQUARE"
YOUR WINNING IS
$ 24 780
CONTACT THE PRIZE CENTER >>

Screenshot of the page listing available prize transfer options:

Text presented in this page:

I n t e r n a t i o n a l   O f f i c i a l    L o t t e r y
OFFICIAL ANNIVERSARY LOTTERY SITE
CHOOSE A WAY TO GET YOUR WIN
AMOUNT OF YOUR WINNING
$ 24 780
$ 24 780 ONLINE TRANSFER TO YOUR BANK CARD
OR INTERNET WALLET
5 to 10 minutes. Payment of fee required
CHOOSE THIS WAY
$ 24 780 CASH THROUGH TRANSFER
3 to 7 days. Shipping cost $27.9.
CHOOSE THIS WAY
RECEIPT IN THE CENTER OF ISSUE OF PRIZES
NOT AVAILABLE
Cash withdrawal at the issuing center is not available, as the amount of your winnings is less than $100 000

Screenshot of the first phishing page:

Text presented in this page:

Your payout is ready to ship.
The fee for your winnings amounted to: $17.9
PAYMENT
AMOUNT TO BE PAID - 24 780 USD.
SPECIFY DETAILS FOR PAYMENT:
Enter card / wallet number
ANY BANK CARD (VISA/MASTERCARD)
ONLINE WALLET (SKRIL/PAYPAL)
PAY FEES AND WITHDRAW WIN »
After paying the fee, you will immediately receive a money transfer to your card or wallet.

Screenshot of the second phishing site to which the "International Official Lottery" scam redirects:

Text presented in this page:

Secure Checkout
Order number:28461910
Billing Information
Card Number
Expiration Date
CVV
3 DIGITS OF ACCOUNT NUMBER PANEL

Cardholder Name
Email
Phone
Pay Now
When the online transaction is made, you will receive a verification code through an SMS to your registered mobile phone number.

The appearance of "International Official Lottery" scam (GIF):

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Quick menu:

• What is "International Official Lottery"?
• STEP 1. Uninstall deceptive applications using Control Panel.
• STEP 2. Remove adware from Internet Explorer.
• STEP 3. Remove rogue extensions from Google Chrome.
• STEP 4. Remove potentially unwanted plug-ins from Mozilla Firefox.
• STEP 5. Remove rogue extensions from Safari.
• STEP 6. Remove rogue plug-ins from Microsoft Edge.

Removal of potentially unwanted applications:

Windows 11 users:

Right-click on the Start icon, select Apps and Features. In the opened window search for the application you want to uninstall, after locating it, click on the three vertical dots and select Uninstall.

Windows 10 users:

Right-click in the lower left corner of the screen, in the Quick Access Menu select Control Panel. In the opened window choose Programs and Features.

Windows 7 users:

Click Start (Windows Logo at the bottom left corner of your desktop), choose Control Panel. Locate Programs and click Uninstall a program.

macOS (OSX) users:

Click Finder, in the opened screen select Applications. Drag the app from the Applications folder to the Trash (located in your Dock), then right click the Trash icon and select Empty Trash.

In the uninstall programs window, look for any suspicious/recently-installed applications, select these entries and click "Uninstall" or "Remove".

After uninstalling the potentially unwanted application, scan your computer for any remaining unwanted components or possible malware infections. To scan your computer, use recommended malware removal software.

Remove rogue extensions from Internet browsers:

Video showing how to remove potentially unwanted browser add-ons:

Remove malicious add-ons from Internet Explorer:

Click the "gear" icon (at the top right corner of Internet Explorer), select "Manage Add-ons". Look for any recently-installed suspicious browser extensions, select these entries and click "Remove".

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the international official lottery pop-up, reset your Internet Explorer settings to default.

Windows XP users: Click Start, click Run, in the opened window type inetcpl.cpl In the opened window click the Advanced tab, then click Reset.

Windows Vista and Windows 7 users: Click the Windows logo, in the start search box type inetcpl.cpl and click enter. In the opened window click the Advanced tab, then click Reset.

Windows 8 users: Open Internet Explorer and click the gear icon. Select Internet Options.

In the opened window, select the Advanced tab.

Click the Reset button.

Confirm that you wish to reset Internet Explorer settings to default by clicking the Reset button.

Remove malicious extensions from Google Chrome:

Click the Chrome menu icon  (at the top right corner of Google Chrome), select "More tools" and click "Extensions". Locate all recently-installed suspicious browser add-ons and remove them.

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the international official lottery pop-up, reset your Google Chrome browser settings. Click the Chrome menu icon  (at the top right corner of Google Chrome) and select Settings. Scroll down to the bottom of the screen. Click the Advanced… link.

After scrolling to the bottom of the screen, click the Reset (Restore settings to their original defaults) button.

In the opened window, confirm that you wish to reset Google Chrome settings to default by clicking the Reset button.

Remove malicious plug-ins from Mozilla Firefox:

Click the Firefox menu (at the top right corner of the main window), select "Add-ons". Click on "Extensions", in the opened window remove all recently-installed suspicious browser plug-ins.

Optional method:

Computer users who have problems with international official lottery pop-up removal can reset their Mozilla Firefox settings.

Open Mozilla Firefox, at the top right corner of the main window, click the Firefox menu, in the opened menu, click Help.

Select Troubleshooting Information.

In the opened window, click the Refresh Firefox button.

In the opened window, confirm that you wish to reset Mozilla Firefox settings to default by clicking the Refresh Firefox button.

Remove malicious extensions from Safari:

Make sure your Safari browser is active, click Safari menu, and select Preferences....

In the opened window click Extensions, locate any recently installed suspicious extension, select it and click Uninstall.

Optional method:

Make sure your Safari browser is active and click on Safari menu. From the drop down menu select Clear History and Website Data...

In the opened window select all history and click the Clear History button.

Remove malicious extensions from Microsoft Edge:

Click the Edge menu icon  (at the upper-right corner of Microsoft Edge), select "Extensions". Locate all recently-installed suspicious browser add-ons and click "Remove" below their names.

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the international official lottery pop-up, reset your Microsoft Edge browser settings. Click the Edge menu icon  (at the top right corner of Microsoft Edge) and select Settings.

In the opened settings menu select Reset settings.

Select Restore settings to their default values. In the opened window, confirm that you wish to reset Microsoft Edge settings to default by clicking the Reset button.

• If this did not help, follow these alternative instructions explaining how to reset the Microsoft Edge browser.

Summary:

Commonly, adware or potentially unwanted applications infiltrate Internet browsers through free software downloads. Note that the safest source for downloading free software is via developers' websites only. To avoid installation of adware, be very attentive when downloading and installing free software. When installing previously-downloaded free programs, choose the custom or advanced installation options – this step will reveal any potentially unwanted applications listed for installation together with your chosen free program.

Removal assistance:
If you are experiencing problems while trying to remove international official lottery pop-up from your computer, please ask for assistance in our malware support forum.

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