FreeLotto Exposed — Will You Get Paid or It’s Just a Big Free Lotto Scam?
FreeLotto Review
FreeLotto.com (FreeLotto.site at the moment) is a sweepstakes site that awards members cash and other prizes including cars. People register as a member and then pick their numbers. Okay, maybe it’s not quite that simple, but FreeLotto.com claims to have to date awarded over $95 million. People don’t need a credit card so how does FreeLotto.com make money and how is it able to pay winnings? That’s the big question. Get ready to have your email address flooded with promotional material, spam, and other links to sites that might cost money.
Is TheLotter legit in some parts of the USA?
What Is FreeLotto?
The site was established in 1999 and is owned by PlasmaNet Inc., a company based in New York, USA. This sweepstakes site is not a place to purchase lottery tickets. Players can play six games daily and register up to 10 accounts.
After choosing their numbers for each game, players click on the banner ad of a sponsor and answer a multiple-choice question or click on the FreeBet button. From time to time, FreeLotto.com may ask brief questions about buying preferences. The home site is in English, but FreeLotto also has Spanish, French, Norwegian, Portuguese, Russian, Suomi, and Swedish versions.
First Impressions
It’s evident that something isn’t right the moment you visit the FreeLotto website. The design is outdated, and it pretty much looks like the popup banners that used to plague our computer screens some time ago. Grandiose promises are made right on the homepage, and FreeLotto promises you that you can win more than one million dollars the moment you sign up. Websites that get started with such promises aren’t the most trustworthy ones (unless they can state rather clearly how such opportunities come about).
The homepage features the names and pictures of people that have supposedly become millionaires using FreeLotto. We tried to run a quick online check and figure out whether these people are real and if they’d won money.
We went at random with Isabelle Bradley, who supposedly won 10 million dollars through the website. Interestingly enough, no media or news website has reported such a spectacular win. After all, if it were that simple to become a millionaire, the chances are that the media would jump on the bandwagon immediately.
It’s exciting to point out that the name has taken us to a website called ScamVictimsUnited (uh-oh, not a good start)! The forum features tens of accounts written by people that tried to replicate Isabelle’s success but were unable to claim their FreeLotto prizes.
Alright, maybe there weren’t any reports about Isabelle. This is why we decided to search for a second FreeLotto millionaire. According to the website, Zhivko Zhelev from Bulgaria won 100 million dollars. Now, Bulgaria is a small European country, and it has some of the lowest salaries in the EU. Such a massive winning is big news, and at least a few media should have covered it. There’s whatsoever, no information about such a millionaire.
The final thing we tried to do is reverse the Google image search for Zhivko’s photo. This approach would at least confirm that the person is real. Unfortunately, the picture appears solely on the FreeLotto website. There’s no Facebook profile or another account that features the picture. The same applies to Isabelle’s picture.
Who Can Play at FreeLotto.com?
FreeLotto.com lists under its rules the countries people can NOT play from. Besides underlining, that no one can play from “the United States of America Department of State Trading with the Enemies Countries list”, – there are also state restrictions for some of the USA and Quebec in Canada. A few other countries are listed as not being allowed to participate under the Rules section.
FreeLotto.com – The Catch
This site is supported by advertising, promotions, surveys, and other communication that funds the prizes and pays Freelotto.com. Though they don’t explicitly say they will share your email account with third parties, it is implied that there are also links to other opportunities.
It’s also interesting to point out that if you supposedly win, you don’t get any information about it through the website or your account there. No, no – that would be too simple and legitimate! Rather, you get an email notification in the form of “First name, last name, YOU HAVE WON!” Does that ring a bell? It pretty much looks like the mail lottery scams we write about so frequently.
Also, you’re supposed to wait for a transaction number that will supposedly give you access to the money. There’s no direct transfer of funds because FreeLotto doesn’t ask for your financial information and doesn’t credit money to your account. As you can see, believing that you’ll get any money in this very, very complex method is definitely a stretch of the imagination.
The website doesn’t make a single mention of the exact mechanism by which the money’s going to be paid. Its FAQ section features a convoluted explanation that doesn’t make any sense. In summary, any website that doesn’t have a specific and clearly explained payment method is to be avoided.
FreeLotto.com Customer Support
The site only provides a PO Box located in the State of New York, USA. There is no phone number, email address, or live chat. All communication is conducted through an online form. As there is no need to purchase anything (or so you think), there are no payment options.
Your Inbox Under Siege
FreeLotto.com works with partners and advertisers to survive. It is only natural to expect that after registering, you will be at the mercy of these companies. You’ve given them permission for the value of promises of prizes and money. You provide your name and address. There are reports about being unable to unsubscribe once you have registered your personal details online. Some players have also said they have had continual problems even after they canceled their membership with FreeLotto.com [complaintsboard.com].
FreeLotto Complaints
Usually, it takes a bit of work to dig up complaints about the online lottery and sweepstake vendors, but ripoffreport.com is an excellent starting point. The amount and range of complaints are quite extensive.
Some players commented they were unable to redeem a prize, as the small print in the Terms and Conditions states that you would need to contact them with specific information at a precise time and date. Other comments include the password reset link did not respond to multiple requests and some affiliates reported that they had sent loads of traffic to Freelotto.com but did not get paid for their efforts [epinions.com].
Now about the LottoExposed.com experience. Look, what we got a couple of days ago. Oops, it looks like we have won one million pounds – NOT! Stay away from such ‘good news,’ folks!
Why You Should Register with FreeLotto
Pros:
It’s Free
It’s a Sweepstake
Why You Shouldn’t Register with FreeLotto
Cons:
No Contact Details
No Customer Service
No Information
Information about Winners Is Largely Falsified
There isn’t a Clear Explanation about how a Prize Can Be Claimed – Long and Convoluted FAQ Section
It May Be Very Difficult, Even Impossible to Unsubscribe from Their Spam Emails
Is FreeLotto Legit?
I don’t think I have ever seen that many diverse complaints about an online sweepstakes/lottery site. The fact that there is no direct way to contact Freelotto.com makes this all the more serious. There is no street address or telephone number; only their online form. Worse, there is every indication that your contact details will be shared so you’ll not be sure who will/could contact you next.
If you want to get involved in winning money online, stick with the tried and true online lottery sites, and pay for your tickets. The bottom line is that you usually get what you pay for – though in this case paying nothing might actually get you an Inbox full of spam emails.
I have won for free lotto but not getting my winner prize
Good day, my name is Given Ndlopfu from RSA. I’m a won for free Lotto on sep/2014 but I’m traying to post my winning entry for via DHL curria. still I’m not reciving my winner prize or call to free lotto department. I’m paying all my passell at DHL to NY free lotto to pay me my amount but I’m not receving a call to free lotto about my winner prize please any one help me to claim my winner prize my name is on the winners list. Call me directly on 0814573080 Regards Given Ndlopfu
Hi. I avoid buying lottery tickets and instead seek out free ones.
PCH contests, lotteries, scratch offs, etc. Once I won a $20.00 Amazon scratch off, but that’s it, after years of daily entries, a few years during the early 2000’s and currently for the last two years.
Freelotto is another I have been faithful to, I won $1.00 five separate times.
Troppolotto, I have never won.
I enter a lot of free drawings for various companies, like InTouchWeekly, BHG, AARP, you get the point. I spend too much time for too little reward and I understand the odds, but I’m thinking it’s time to stop, find something more productive. I guess I’m asking is there any legit sites for this sort of thing so that maybe I can just focus on a few, or would the internet community advise that I go “cold turkey” and just stop? I know you can’t win if you don’t enter but not winning hardly anything is just not worth it. I appreciate responsive opinions based on your own experiences.
Thanks
G
Hi Gary, thanks for sharing your thoughts. I moved your comment to Free Lotto. Daisy
To spot a SCAM email it is advised to:
‘Contact the actual business that supposedly sent the e-mail to verify that the e-mail is genuine.’
Gee, with no street address or anyone to contact – how is possible to get in contact with someone?
‘If you are requested to act quickly or there is an emergency that requires your attention, it may be a scam. Fraudsters create a sense of urgency to get you to act quickly.’
The FREELOTTO plays this one through and through. Please ‘click here now’ and get your money – If you don’t click NOW all your prize money will be LOST’ – so hurry people click now, quickly, just click and click and oh LOOK you are at that page which wants your money again.
and then the final warning in spotting a SCAM –
‘Remember if it looks too good to be true, it probably is.’
Per your comment in the article… –
Besides UNDERLINING no one can play from “the United States of America Department of State Trading with the Enemies Countries list” seems to subtly echo the example of the fraudulent e-mail message:
INTELLIGENCE BULLETIN No. 267
Title: New Patterns in Al-Qaeda Financing
Date: August 15, 2009
THREAT LEVEL: YELLOW (ELEVATED)
…so as to create a feeling of patriotic pride in the American people and their obligation to participate.
Also, if you go back in time to the original FREELOTTO emails you will remember they were just as tatty as the 419 scams. Now they have got a stylist in to make them appear professional and authentic, with frilly almost candy coated graphics and large colorful iconic buttons which scream ‘click-me’ and always direct to pages which bully you into ‘give me your credit card details NOW!!!’
Freelotto.com is somewhat affiliated to ICELOTTO.com. If you join ICELOTTO you will within a few days or minutes receive a FREELOTTO email in your inbox. However much ICELOTTO seems to give you a valid LOTTO TICKET it is non-redeemable by non USA citizens. The ticket is clearly shown in a PDF format and comes from the New Jersey Lottery. However, read the ‘claiming your prize page’ (on ICELOTTO’s page) – it only applies to USA citizens, yet they claim to be an international lottery. Because of IRS taxation laws that apply within the USA the money is not allowed to leave the USA anyway, but they will readily encourage you to join with your international VISA card transfer. It is clearly a scam.