WPBN: It would be pleasant to win the lottery at any time of year, but particularly right now. Additionally, con artists are counting on you thinking you won the lottery or a sweepstakes, so you won’t question their requests for your personal information and money.
Thomas Johnson, who was given a $450,000 check and a letter of congratulations, stated, “I looked at it and was like, wow, I’m a winner.”
However, as he read it, he became aware of a problem.
“They were going to tell you just pay the taxes with your debit or credit card or American Express, and then, of course, they got you,” Johnson stated.
Karen Morgan, AARP Maryland’s lead fraud volunteer and member of the Executive Council, cautions against paying for prizes.
“No legitimate contest that legally operates in this country can require you to pay anything to win, and if it’s taxes, it comes out of the supposed winnings before you ever see a dime,” Morgan stated.
Mallory Sofastaii of Scripps News Baltimore received a copy of a phony letter that was recently circulating from the Maryland Lottery.
“These criminals are reaching thousands of people at a time, they only need to get one person to say yes,” Morgan stated.
Scams involving lotteries and sweepstakes were among the top three types of fraud that were reported to the Federal Trade Commission in 2010. It is estimated that consumers lost more than $338 million.
Additionally, Publishers Clearing House is aware of fraudsters who are utilizing their name, and consequently, they have posted warnings all over their website.
Chris Irving, Vice President of Consumer & Legal Affairs at Publishers Clearing House, stated, “We surprise our winners by showing up with our big check, champagne, and flowers. We don’t call ahead, tell people ahead of time, or send a letter ahead of time.”
Telling you that you won a contest you didn’t enter is the biggest red flag.
“Was this a call out of the blue? Why did that happen? How did this lottery even get your telephone number? These are things you can think about if you step away long enough to let your logic sort of control the situation instead of your emotions,” Morgan stated.
The Maryland Lottery and Publishers Clearing House stated that although they will contact winners of smaller amounts by phone, email, or certified mail, they will never want payment in order to claim your award.
These schemes have resulted in multiple arrests, including one earlier this year. In a lottery scheme, two brothers from Maryland were charged with stealing over $3.5 million over a three-year period.
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The Maryland Lottery offered more details about these frauds, along with additional warning signs:
- They request personal information: Don’t provide your banking details, Social Security number, or any other private information.
- They demand upfront payment: It is not appropriate to pay “taxes” or “fees” to someone who claims to have won a lottery win. They don’t have “fees.” Similar to how taxes are deducted from your paycheck, federal and state income taxes are deducted from the amount of a significant lottery winner. The taxes are not paid by you personally.
- They claim you won a competition you didn’t participate in: You did not win a lottery reward if you did not purchase a lottery ticket or participate in a lottery second-chance contest. Prizes are not given out by lottery based on non-lottery transactions or by randomly selecting email addresses.
- They say they speak for Mega Millions or Powerball, although neither organization has “representatives” that call people to give out winnings. By purchasing tickets and matching the winning numbers that are drawn, players can win prizes in those two games.
