SCARS Institute

IS IT A SCAM?

A SCARS Institute Scam Detection Diagnostic: Lottery, Sweepstakes, and Prize Scams
For people who have been told they won, and for the people who care about them
25 Yes-or-No Questions

Your Privacy Is Protected

We never see your identity

Your answers are processed in your browser. Only you see any identifying information about you. Nothing about you or anyone you are helping is stored.

De-identified data supports research

With your permission and your identity removed, your de-identified answers are sent to the SCARS Institute for scientific research only. Data is never shared with third parties.

Save your work and return later

You have the option to save your work and return later as you wish. Each finished section is saved to the SCARS Institute under a resume code, without your identity. Your resume code is the only way to bring your answers back, so keep it somewhere safe and treat it like a password.

The SCARS Institute provides this diagnostic to help people recognize lottery, sweepstakes, and prize scams, whether they have been contacted themselves or are worried about someone they care about. You can save your result to share with a trusted person, your bank, or law enforcement.

Start or Continue

Twenty-five Yes-or-No questions in five sections. Most people finish in ten minutes. First, you will choose whether this is about you, or about someone you care about. If you need to stop, your answers are saved at the end of each section under a resume code.

Start the diagnostic

You will receive a resume code so you can stop and return on any device.

Enter a resume code

Pick up where you stopped, or bring back a finished result from the past 90 days.

Which Describes You?

Choose the one that fits. The questions and the advice are written for your situation.

Who are you worried about?

Please Note. This diagnostic was developed by the SCARS Institute from its work with tens of thousands of scam victims. It is a screening tool, not legal or financial advice. A high score identifies a probable scam in progress. A low score does not prove a prize is real: a real prize never asks for money, whatever the score.
Why this matters
Answer Yes or No to continue
Save this result before leaving the page. Use the "Save My Results" button below. Your resume code also brings this result back for 90 days.

2 Comments

  1. Is It A Scam? Lotto/Lottery/Sweepstake Scam Diagnostic - v1 b7e1252de7f99d59fae6d200822b46bec6489d176fb5d42feee0cabebe28c4c5?s=54&d=blank&r=g
    Patricia Robles November 6, 2026 at 6:03 pm - Reply

    Thank you for this tool. I have actually taken several steps recommended here to protect my dad. These people are very good at what they do. I’m glad there are resources like this to help families who are going through this.

Leave A Comment