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Fake Prize Requests

A fake prize message offers something that does not exist to collect personal details or an upfront fee. The 'win' is the bait; the data or fee is the real target.

In this lesson

Fake Prize Requests is part of Year-Round Tax Planning. This preview shows how tax-planning connects to everyday family decisions such as earning, saving, spending choices, goals, approvals, or parent-guided money conversations inside Progress Penguin.

Think about this money choice

Femi's phone shows a message: 'You are the lucky winner! Reply with your account number.' Nobody told him he was in a competition.

How it works

A fake prize message tells you that you have won something — a phone, cash, a voucher — and asks you to respond with personal information or a small fee to release the prize. The prize does not exist. The goal is to collect your personal details, your money, or both.

Try a real-life example

Real-life money moment: Femi's phone shows: 'You are the lucky winner! Reply with your full name, account number, and home address to claim your 50000 in local currency prize.' Nobody told him he was in a competition. The 'prize' requires his account number — which is exactly what the scammer wants. He shows his parent and deletes the message.

Activity preview

Try one real money action

Open Tasks and submit proof for one task, or open Requests and make a deposit request. Parent approval can happen later.

Quiz preview

Fake Prize Requests claim you have won something in order to:

Reward you genuinely for being a loyal customer of their service
Build goodwill before selling you a real product or service
Trick you into paying a fee or sharing personal details to claim it
Test whether you follow instructions from official-looking messages

A message says: "You won a laptop! Pay 2000 in local currency processing fee to collect." You should:

Ask for a smaller fee since 2000 in local currency seems too high for processing
Delete it — real prizes never require upfront payment to claim
Pay the 2000 in local currency since 2000 in local currency is a small price for a laptop
Visit the collection centre in person to avoid giving money online