Social media post lets friend steal lottery prize

A Chinese man recently learned a very hard lesson about the dangers of oversharing online after his friend ended up stealing the money from his lottery win. On November 11, 2025, the man won a local lottery. He was excited about his win, so he posted a photo of the winning ticket in a WeChat group chat. The man went to claim his winnings the next day, but was surprised to find out that someone else had already collected his winnings.

How the lottery fraud took place

Police said a friend in that group chat saved the image of the winning ticket. They then sent the image to an employee at the lottery store.

The employee at the lottery store knew the friend as a regular customer, so they didn’t think anything of it. They processed the remittance, thinking it was legitimate. The winning ticket wasn’t a huge amount, but the whole incident still caused stress for the original winner.

After an investigation by the police, the winnings were returned to the rightful winner. Yes, the winner was able to get their money back. However, this incident shows how sharing pictures of digital tickets on social platforms can create new vulnerabilities in lottery systems.

Could this happen in the United States?

Although there is lottery fraud in the United States, there is far less chance that someone will claim a reward from an online shared image. Winners of the majority of state lotteries in the United States must show a physical ticket with security measures like watermarks, barcodes, or serial numbers. At the time of the claim, the winner must additionally confirm their identity.

Platforms such as Lotto.com and state-run online lottery platforms need registered accounts, identity verification, and secure digital claiming procedures that prohibit the submission of a screenshot or image instead of the genuine ticket.

Screenshots of tickets are more challenging to claim in the U.S., according to experts, even if this person was able to claim the reward in China. Screenshots of tickets may theoretically be dangerous, but the multi-step verification procedure used by U.S. lotteries makes it very challenging.

To further protect lottery winners within their state, lotteries also have secure claim forms, audit trails, and ID checks.

Lessons to learn from this incident in China

Even while doing something like this in the U.S. can be quite challenging, we should never say never. Sharing these photographs online or in group discussions can put those awards in jeopardy.

Indeed, there are more robust security measures in place for lotteries in the United States. Players are urged to handle their tickets with extreme caution, nevertheless. This security may be jeopardized if pictures of these winning tickets are posted online.

Lottery officials recommend the following to protect your ticket:

• Any winning tickets should be claimed as soon as possible, preferably in person.
• Before you claim your winnings, sign the back of your winning ticket and store it somewhere safe.
• Never share pictures of winning tickets on chat applications or social media.

Ultimately, while social media can help celebrate wins, the experience in China is a reminder: when it comes to lottery tickets, privacy and security are just as important as luck.

Enjoy playing the lottery, and please remember to play responsibly.