THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: At one glance, it seems like the original. The colour code is same and the content is near-similar. It even has the correct mascot – the grasshopper.
It takes a second, more closer look to realise that the website, keralamegastatelottary.com, is a fake that mimics the state lotteries department’s official portal, keralalotteries.com.
The lotteries department has repeatedly urged caution against online sale of tickets. The department sells only paper lotteries through authorised agents. Sales through electronic or digital platforms are illegal. Yet, such websites exist. None, however, are as deceptively and deviously similar as keralamegastatelottary.com.
The clone site carries the Kerala government emblem and even the department’s mascot, a grasshopper. It even copies the same introductory para word for word from the official website.
The changes are there, but a little harder to spot at a casual glance. For instance, the postal address given in its homepage is that of the department, but the phone number and email ID provided are of the fraudsters.
Then there are the prominent banner links. In the official website, these are ‘Lottery Results’, ‘Lottery Claim’, ‘Lottery Agents’ and ‘Lottery Structure’. The fake site has replaced the second and fourth ones with ‘Ticket Booking’ and ‘Track Order’’ (these are in a different font).
Upon clicking ‘Ticket Booking’ one is taken to a page where tickets are available under different categories: Basic Ticket (Rs 40), Standard Ticket (Rs 100) and Dhamaka Ticket (Rs 500). Customers can purchase ticket numbers of their choice under each category.
Upon clicking a number you are taken to a page where basic details like name, phone number and email ID have to be entered. The ‘Book Ticket Now’ button then takes buyers to the payment page where money can be paid via UPI.
In case there is a grievance, clicking the ‘Contact Us’ button in the homepage will take users a page carrying an address from Punjab’s Ludhiana and the fraudsters’ phone number, WhatsApp and email ID.
Meanwhile, it appears those behind the fake website did not realise that Kerala elected a new government in May. While official website has the photos of the present chief minister, finance minister, taxes secretary and lotteries director, the fake one has pictures of former CM Pinarayi Vijayan and former Finance Minister K N Balagopal. It also lists Mithun Premraj as lotteries director, even though he was replaced by Anju K S. Additional Chief Secretary K R Jyothilal figures in both as the taxes secretary.