Russia Takes Down Nearly 5,000 Fake Lottery Sites in Six Months

Phishing campaigns targeting state lotteries remain a persistent cybersecurity threat.

In the first half of 2024, Russian state lottery operator Stoloto, in collaboration with cybersecurity firm F6, identified and shut down nearly 5,000 fraudulent websites mimicking official lottery platforms. Of these, 4,700 were phishing clones of government-run lottery sites. Investigators also flagged over 100 fake social media pages, 25 scam messages distributed via messengers, and 38 malicious mobile apps.

According to F6 analysts, phishing attacks targeting the lottery sector are on a noticeable decline. In 2022, more than 19,000 malicious sites were blocked. That number dropped to 7,000 in 2023, and further fell to around 3,500 in early 2024.

Yekaterina Tuton, Deputy CEO of S8 Capital (which owns Stoloto), emphasized the importance of ongoing anti-fraud efforts: 

Despite these wins, phishing and online scams remain among the most dangerous cyber threats facing digital brands in Russia. Fake websites continue to trick users into handing over personal data and losing money. Officials stress that users should only trust Stoloto’s official web portal when participating in lottery-related activities.