LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — Lottery jackpots are worth a lot these days, but don’t get so excited that you fall for a lottery-themed scam.
The Michigan Lottery warned the public on Monday to beware of scam artists who claim to be lottery agents or prize winners. Officials said there are usually two types of lottery prize scams:
- A person receives a letter, email, text or phone call to inform them that they’ve won a big lottery prize, and must first pay a fee to collect the prize. If the person agrees, the scammer gets them to mail a cashier’s check, make an electronic funds transfer or arrange a meeting to get money in cash.
- Someone who claims to be a lottery prize winner contacts a person by mail, email, text or phone call. The scammer tells the person they’ll share the prize if the person sends them money. If the person agrees, the scammer convinces them to mail a cashier’s check, make an electronic funds transfer or meet in person to give cash.
Officials said in some cases, the scammer will even come back after the initial scam, asking for more money for unexpected processing costs or fees, or will use some other excuse to get more money from the victim.
The Michigan Lottery advises that if you think you’ve fallen victim to one of these scams, please contact local law enforcement.
