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  • Geebo 8:00 am on September 8, 2025 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , lottery, lottery scam, Powerball,   

    Lottery Fever Fuels Scam Surge 

    By Greg Collier

    The latest Powerball drawing produced a jackpot worth nearly 1.8 billion dollars, with winning tickets sold in Texas and Missouri. While these wins bring an end to weeks without a grand prize winner, the attention surrounding such a large drawing has also created an opportunity for fraudsters.

    Authorities have cautioned that lottery and sweepstakes scams often spike when jackpots reach record levels. These scams usually begin with a message telling someone they have won a prize. The communication is designed to build excitement before the scammer introduces supposed fees, taxes, or duties that must be paid upfront. Victims are often asked to provide bank details, wire money, or send gift card numbers. The result is always the same. Instead of gaining a prize, the target loses money and often faces repeated attempts by the scammer to extract even more.

    Scammers have no knowledge of whether someone actually bought a lottery ticket. Instead, they cast a wide net during high-profile jackpots, sending out thousands of messages in the hope that even a small number of recipients will take the bait. The sheer scale of outreach, combined with the excitement surrounding massive prize announcements, increases the chances that at least some individuals will be convinced they are winners.

    The Federal Trade Commission has identified lottery scams as one of the most common consumer frauds. Reports continue to show that many victims are older individuals, but no one is immune to convincing and persistent claims of sudden wealth. The FBI recorded billions of dollars in total financial losses from malicious activity in the past year, with lottery and sweepstakes scams representing a significant portion.

    Even though the top jackpot has now been claimed, the drawing also produced a series of substantial secondary prizes. Tickets worth one million or two million dollars were sold across multiple states. The existence of these smaller prizes keeps scammers in business because it becomes easier to convince someone that they may have overlooked a win. The combination of large advertised jackpots and genuine smaller prizes creates fertile ground for deception.

    Consumers are urged to treat any unsolicited message claiming a lottery win with suspicion. Official lotteries do not ask winners to pay fees upfront or to provide payment through wire transfers or gift cards. The safest approach is to check tickets through legitimate lottery outlets or official websites and to report suspicious messages to regulators.

    The excitement of a record jackpot can easily turn into financial loss for those caught in fraudulent schemes. Remaining cautious and skeptical is essential as long as lotteries continue to draw the attention of both players and criminals alike.

     

  • Geebo 9:17 am on November 13, 2024 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , lottery scam,   

    Did a Scammer Pay a Victim’s Credit Card Debt? 

    Did a Scammer Pay a Victim's Credit Card Debt?

    By Greg Collier

    In a disheartening tale of deception and financial ruin, a lottery scam with roots in Indianapolis has surfaced, leaving victims across state lines in a wake of financial devastation. This scam, which preys on the hope and trust of unsuspecting individuals, has taken thousands of dollars from victims, including an elderly Florida resident who lost more than $40,000.

    The scam unfolds with a seemingly innocuous phone call or text message, proclaiming an improbable windfall. A lottery win, despite the recipient never purchasing a ticket. The allure of an $8 million jackpot is dangled before the victim, often with the claim that they need to pay taxes or fees upfront to secure their winnings. But behind the promise of fortune lies a sinister intent, to extract personal information or outright steal money.

    The experience of one elderly victim underscores the complex and deceptive nature of these schemes. An Indianapolis man, posing as a representative of a national lottery, convinced the victim that her prize was genuine. He even manipulated her finances in an unprecedented way, paying off her credit card debts with fraudulent checks to gain her trust. It was only after the payments were reversed that the victim realized the extent of the fraud.

    In this particular case, the use of fake checks to pay off victims’ debts is a new twist. The scammers’ ability to provide temporary financial relief gives their operation an air of legitimacy, which can lower the victim’s defenses. This deceptive strategy has not been widely reported before, highlighting the evolving methods used by fraudsters to exploit their victims.

    Adding to the distress, the victim was persuaded to send thousands of dollars in cash via courier services to an Indianapolis address. She believed the funds were covering necessary taxes on her winnings. The culprits, however, used multiple aliases and addresses, making it nearly impossible to track the stolen money.

    The victim’s ordeal has left her with significant debt, a ruined credit score, and an unrelenting quest for justice. Despite reporting the crime to multiple agencies, she remains burdened by the aftermath.

    Authorities urge anyone who receives a suspicious call or message about lottery winnings to verify the claims independently. Legitimate lotteries do not demand payment of fees or taxes upfront, nor do they contact winners without prior participation in a contest. This is commonly known as the advance fee scam.

    While the victim’s financial losses may never be recovered, her story could save others from falling victim to similar schemes. As scams grow more sophisticated, so too must our collective efforts to expose and prevent them.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on April 16, 2024 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , lottery scam,   

    Scam targets victims with false prize winnings 

    Scam targets victims with false prize winnings

    By Greg Collier

    The advance fee scam is a type of fraud that involves enticing victims with the promise of a large sum of money in exchange for a relatively small upfront payment or fee. This scheme operates under various guises and narratives, but the underlying premise remains consistent. The victim is led to believe that they will receive a substantial financial reward, typically through inheritance, lottery winnings, or a business opportunity.

    The Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office has issued a warning about this scam that preys on the hopes and dreams of unsuspecting individuals, promising them large sums of money that simply do not exist.

    The scheme unfolds with a phone call from someone claiming to represent the state office, informing the recipient that they have won a substantial cash prize. However, as one unfortunate Oklahoma resident discovered, these promises are nothing more than a cruel hoax designed to part victims from their hard-earned money.

    One Oklahoma woman, whose mother fell victim to this scam, shared her family’s ordeal. Her elderly mother, eagerly anticipating a windfall of nearly a million dollars, was instead left devastated when the promised winnings failed to materialize. The scammers, using sophisticated tactics, convinced her mother that she needed to pay a fee to claim her prize. They even went so far as to fabricate a story involving law enforcement confiscating a supposed prize check, adding a layer of deceit to their ploy.

    What makes this scam particularly nefarious is the manipulation of caller ID information, with the calls appearing as either “unknown” or originating from a local area code. In some instances, the fraudsters have gone as far as spoofing the official telephone number of the Attorney General’s Office itself, adding an air of legitimacy to their deceit.

    Tragically, the elderly victim, like many others, succumbed to the pressure and parted with her money, leaving her not only financially depleted but also deeply embarrassed by her unwitting participation in the scam. As the Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office rightly emphasizes, the Attorney General’s office is committed to protecting consumers, not exploiting them for financial gain.

    To avoid falling victim to advance fee scams, it’s essential to exercise caution and skepticism when approached with unsolicited offers of financial gain. Be wary of requests for upfront payments or personal information from unknown parties, and always verify the legitimacy of any offers or claims independently. Additionally, familiarize yourself with common scam tactics and educate yourself on how to recognize and avoid fraudulent schemes.

    Scammers often demand payment via wire transfers, gift cards, cryptocurrency, or payment apps, making it difficult to trace or recover funds. Be wary of any demands for payment made over the phone.

    Never divulge sensitive financial or personal details to unsolicited callers claiming to represent government agencies. If in doubt, hang up and contact the agency directly using a verified phone number.

    Caller ID can be manipulated to display false information, including legitimate government agency numbers. Treat unexpected calls with skepticism and verify their authenticity independently.

    By remaining informed and adopting proactive measures to protect personal and financial information, anyone can safeguard themselves against the predatory tactics of scammers seeking to exploit their trust and vulnerability. Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

     

  • Geebo 9:00 am on January 2, 2023 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , lottery scam, , ,   

    Scam Round Up: Parking ticket scam and more 

    By Greg Collier

    Today, we’re starting off the New Year with a handful of new scams.

    ***

    Now, the police impersonation scam is nothing new. This is when scammers pose as law enforcement and threaten a victim with arrest if they don’t pay a made up fine. However, a new variation of that scam has turned up in an East Texas city.

    Residents of Navasota, Texas, have received emails that try to imitate the city’s Chief of Police. The emails are coming from a Gmail account, which should be a tip off the emails are part of a scam. The strange part of this scam is the emails are asking residents to become collection agents for the city.

    While the news report doesn’t go into great detail about the scam, we imagine that the typical police impersonation scammer is looking for money mules to do their dirty work. It seems the scammers are looking for unwitting participants in their scam to collect the phony fines from victims.

    Always be wary of unsolicited job offers. With any job offer, if an email comes from a Gmail address rather than a business address, there’s a pretty good chance the offer is a scam.

    ***

    In a small Indiana county, residents have been receiving phone calls telling victims they’ve won a prize from the Mega Millions lottery. Victims are being told they’ve won money and a truck from the nationwide lottery. It’s with the truck where the scam begins. Victims are being told they need to purchase a $500 gift card to pay the driver who is bringing the truck. Since the victim may think they’ve won a large sum of money, $500 isn’t much to pay to get a new truck. This is the advance fee scam. It is illegal to make a lottery winner pay for their prize outside of the initial ticket purchase and subsequent taxes. That’s not even taking into account that most lotteries do not give out trucks as prizes.

    According to the Mega Millions website, no representative of Mega Millions would ever call, text, or e-mail anyone about winning a prize.

    If someone is asking you to pay for a prize you supposedly won, the chances are there is no prize.

    ***

    Lastly, if you receive a parking ticket on your car, make sure it’s from the city before making any kind of payment. In Scottsdale, Arizona, residents there have been finding parking tickets on their cars. The ticket states that you can pay the fine by scanning the QR code on the ticket. After scanning the code, victims are taken to a payment website that no doubt puts the money in to the scammers’ pockets.

    According to Scottsdale police, the fake tickets do not contain what parking law has been supposedly broken. Nor do the tickets have any kind of citation number.

    This is becoming an issue around the country as these parking ticket scams have been popping up all over, including a recent arrest in Santa Cruz, California.

    If you receive a parking ticket with a QR code on it, call the city to verify whether the ticket is bogus or not.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on October 5, 2022 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , , lottery scam,   

    Lottery winners are not giving away money 

    Lottery winners are not giving away money

    By Greg Collier

    The lottery winner scam is reportedly making the rounds again. If you’re unfamiliar with this scam, scammers will claim to be someone who won one of the major lottery prizes in the country. The scammers will use the names of real lottery winners to make the scam seem more legitimate.

    The scammers will then text, email, or send a private message to their potential victims telling them that they’re giving away part of their winnings. Typically, the offer is for hundreds of thousands of dollars. The messages also include articles that show the news of the actual lottery winner.

    The scammers are usually after one of two things. The first is personal and financial information. They may ask for your banking information in the guise of sending you the money. They may also ask for identifying information, such as a copy of your driver’s license. This leads to either the victim’s identity being stolen or their bank account being hijacked.

    The other thing these scammers are usually after is your money. After promising victims all this money, the scammers will try to get money out of the victim by saying that some form of taxes or processing fees need to be paid first. This is known as the advance fee scam and is quite common when it comes to lottery and sweepstakes scams.

    While there are legitimate lottery winners who have been generous with their winnings, they do not hand out hundreds of thousands of dollars to random people. The logistics and legal wranglings of doing so would be a procedural nightmare to say the least.

    As with most giveaway scams, it’s good to keep two sayings in mine. ‘There’s no such thing as a free lunch’, and ‘If it seems too good to be true, it probably is’.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on August 1, 2022 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , lottery scam, Mega Millions,   

    Lottery scams in the wake of record jackpot 

    Lottery scams in the wake of record jackpot

    By Greg Collier

    We’re sure many of you have heard about the $1.3 billion dollar lottery jackpot that happened this past Friday. A single ticket bought in the Chicago area matched all the numbers in the Mega Millions lottery drawing. However, even if a lottery player matches several numbers, they can still win a substantial prize. This is what scammers are now using to prey on their victims.

    In the state of Connecticut, scammers are calling potential victims while posing as the state’s lottery commission. The callers are telling residents that they’ve won a lottery prize. The resident is then asked for personal information like their Social Security number. More than likely, this is done so the scammers can commit identity theft.

    Keep in mind that if you do play the lottery, even occasionally, you need to claim the prize yourself. In most cases, the state doesn’t know who has won a lottery. They only know where the winning ticket was purchased. Just think about how many stories there have been where a lottery winner never claimed their prize.

    This isn’t the only lottery scam out there. Another popular lottery scam is the advance fee scam. In this scam, the scammers tell a victim they’ve won a lottery or sweepstakes, but they need to pay a tax or processing fee before claiming their prize. The scammers will continue to ask the victim for more money, claiming there are problems with the delivery of the prize.

    There is also the impersonation scam, where scammers claim they’re famous lottery winners who are giving some of their winnings away. In this scam, the scammers will either text or send messages on social media using the names of legitimate lottery winners. The victims are then instructed to click on a link which will help them claim their gift. Victims have reported giving scammers their Social Security numbers along with their driver’s license information. Other victims have reported losing money when asked for processing fees and taxes.

    If you ever receive a text message, phone call, or social media message saying that you’ve won money, you have every right to be skeptical. Because, in the end, it could end up costing you money instead.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on October 27, 2021 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , lottery scam, ,   

    Scammers pose as Powerball winner 

    By Greg Collier

    We all have dreams of what we would do if we won a multi-million dollar lottery like Powerball. We even think of how generous we would be if we won. A lot of us even think about being charitable with the money, even if it’s paying off our parent’s mortgage or buying a friend a new car. Others even think about donating a large chunk of the winnings to charity or even total strangers. It’s that last part that scammers hope you’ll believe in being on the receiving end of the donation to a total stranger.

    The Better Business Bureau is warning consumers that scammers are posing as a somewhat famous Powerball winner from Wisconsin. The actual winner was a man who won a $768 million lottery jackpot in 2019. He was a retail employee before hitting the jackpot. After winning, he was known to go back to his previous employer just to hand out gift cards to random customers in the store.

    Scammers are using this man’s name in a phishing scheme. They claim to be the Powerball winner and are sending out text and social media messages telling people nationwide they’ve been chosen to receive a $50,000 gift The victims are then instructed to click on a link which will help them claim their gift. Victims have reported giving scammers their Social Security numbers along with their driver’s license information. Those two pieces of information are essentially the keys needed to steal your identity completely. Other victims have reported losing money when asked for processing fees and taxes.

    We understand there are people out there who are in dire financial need. The pressure and stress of these situations can cause almost anybody to misjudge a situation. However, if you receive an unsolicited message promising you money out of the blue, the odds are almost 100% that it’s a scam. The generous lottery winner that gives out free money is largely only seen in fiction. Even if a lottery winner wanted to give out money to random strangers like this, the legalities and logistics of doing so would make it not worth doing.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on June 14, 2021 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , lottery scam, , , vaccine lottery, vax for the win   

    Scammers pose as state vaccine lotteries 

    By Greg Collier

    Several states have implemented what are being referred to as vaccine lotteries. Cash prizes are being given out to encourage more people to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Some states have even begun to issue payments to winners. However, with any act that’s designed to help the public there are inevitably those who try to use the system to their own advantage and the vaccine lotteries are no different.

    For example, California has just paid out prize to winners in their ‘Vax for the Win’ lottery. They’re expected to make another drawing this week. The Department of Health has recently said they’ve received dozens of calls about residents being told they’ve won the lottery by scammers. At least one resident received a message through social media. This shouldn’t come as a surprise since sweepstakes and lottery scams have been taking money from victims for decades.

    As with most modern scams, the goals in this scam are after one of two things. Either the scammers want your personal information, or they want you to pay them. In many lottery scams, the scammers will tell the victim they need to pay taxes or a processing fee before they can receive their winnings. Making lottery or sweepstakes winners pay for their prize is illegal in every state, so if someone asks for a payment, they’re a scammer.

    California says that their winners will receive a phone call with an official state caller and text ID, and they’ll also receive an email from the state with a form to fill out for their winnings. Residents are told to make sure the emails come from official state email addresses, in this case CA.gov.

    If your state is holding a vaccine lottery, it’s a good idea to check with your state to know how legitimate winners are being rewarded.

     

  • Geebo 9:00 am on February 18, 2021 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , lottery scam, , ,   

    Scammers send man ‘suitcase full of cash’ in lottery scam 

    Scammers send man 'suitcase full of cash' in lottery scam

    By Greg Collier

    Many of us dream about the day we finally with the lottery and have enough money to at least live comfortably for the rest of our lives. We know that the odds of winning the jackpot are astronomical, but we keep telling ourselves that someone has to win, so why not us? If you lean too heavy into that kind of thinking, it could leave you vulnerable if a scammer comes calling.

    For example, a man in Phoenix received a registered letter that said he had won $4.5 million and a Mercedes-Benz. The letter also stated that the man qualified for the prize because he paid his utility bills on time. The man was also sent a locked suitcase that contained $1 million. Here’s where the catch comes in.

    In order to receive the code to safely open the suitcase the mad had to send a series of payments. If the man tried to open the suitcase without the codes, dye packs would supposedly explode rendering the cash useless. Unfortunately, the man made $25,000 in payment to the scammers before realizing he had been swindled. He was eventually able to open the suitcase on his own, and it was filled with gardening magazines.

    The most important thing to keep in mind when dealing with scammers like this is, you can’t win a prize for a contest you never entered. It’s also illegal in the United States for any sweepstakes to ask for a payment before you receive any kind of prize winnings. Sweepstakes winnings are hardly ever that elaborate either. At the most, you might have a minor celebrity show up at your home with an oversized novelty check.

    While you may not fall for such an elaborate scam, you may know someone who is a potential target. If someone you know starts talking about how they’re about to come into a lot of money, you may want to make sure they’re not being scammed.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on June 19, 2020 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: lottery scam, , , ,   

    Sweepstakes scammers show up at man’s door 

    Sweepstakes scammers show up at man's door

    Usually, today’s scammers like to be as far away from their victims as possible. Between the internet and cheap phone rates, scammers can target just about anyone anywhere around the globe. However, every once in awhile a scammer will take it to the next level to try to fool their victim.

    That happened to a man in New Jersey recently. Scammers targeted him in a sweepstakes or lottery scam. The way the scam normally works is scammers will contact random people to tell them that they’ve won a great deal of money in a contest that they didn’t actually enter. The scammers will then say that the ‘winner’ has to either pay taxes or some kind of transfer fee on their winnings before they can collect it. Even if the victim pays there are no winnings and the victim is usually out thousands of dollars.

    The scammers in this case posed as the most famous sweepstakes in America, the Publishers Clearing House sweepstakes. We’ve all seen the commercials over the years of PCH delivering oversized novelty checks to their winners. The scammers, in this case, called the man repeatedly to tell him that he had won one of their renowned prizes. They told him a representative would show up at his door with the prize. A woman actually showed up to his home claiming to be from PCH and was said to be holding a bouquet of flowers to make the illusion seem more authentic. Thankfully, the man was on to the scam and threatened to call the police if they did not leave his property. The woman got into a waiting car and left.

    No legitimate sweepstakes or lottery will ask you for tax money or fees in advance if you win as that is illegal in the United States. There’s also no such thing as winning a contest that you didn’t even enter.

    While we all dream of winning a giant jackpot to relieve our financial woes, don’t let the dream cloud your common sense.

     

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