You answer the phone and someone on the other end says, “Congratulations! You just won the lottery.” At first, all you feel is excitement. The person continues, saying to claim your prize, you must first pay $5,000 to cover the fees and taxes.
Are your alarm bells going off yet? They should be — because this is an example of a lottery scam. To avoid situations like this and to keep having fun while playing the lottery, here are some tips:
- If you don’t remember buying a ticket or entering, then you cannot win.
- Do not respond to a letter, email or phone call requesting you to send money or to cash a check with subsequent directions to send a portion of the money back. The check is not valid and will bounce. NO legitimate lottery will ever send you this type of communication.
- Only buy lottery tickets from authorized NCEL retailers. You can find a list of the authorized retailers here
- Never redeem a lottery ticket for someone you do not know.
- Never give your personal information (credit card, social security, driver's license, passport or bank account numbers) over the phone to anyone promising lottery cash prizes or memberships.
If you are contacted by a scammer, be sure to file a complaint. This will raise a red flag and help protect others from being victims.
- http://www.ncdoj.gov/
- Toll-free within North Carolina: 1-877-5-NO-SCAM (1-877-566-7226)
- From outside North Carolina: (919) 716-6000
- En Español: (919) 716-0058
Scams can be scary — especially if it happens to you. We want our players to feel safe. If you ever have a question about the legitimacy of a phone call or email, please contact our Security Division at 888-732-6235.
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