The Government Lottery Office (GLO) is hunting for the source of fake lottery tickets that have been reported for the first time and have spread widely, affecting retailers and buyers.
Buyers will have to check every single ticket before making a purchase as the fake tickets cannot be used to claim a prize, and they also face the possibility of imprisonment and a fine if they show up at the GLO to make a claim, GLO director-general Chalongrat Nakarthit said on Wednesday.
The warning came after the discovery of 693 pairs of fake lottery tickets for the Feb 16 draw in Nakhon Pathom province.
A retailer who was arrested told police the fake tickets had come from Wang Saphung district of Loei.
Maj Gen Chalongrat said in the past a few fake tickets had been presented to claim prizes, but the latest development involves large amounts to prey on innocent buyers, Maj Gen Chalongrat said.
He advised buyers to look for the bird-of-paradise watermark on tickets and to use water to check if the ink will smear. He said genuine tickets were thinner and glossier than fake ones, had reflective silk and had not an identical bar code number.