TULSA, Okla. — As the Mega Millions rises, scammers pounce on that excitement to hit their own jackpot by stealing your money.
“My wife was contacted on social media.” Jonathan from Tulsa tells us, “This particular message showed her picture and said she had won a several hundred-thousand-dollar prize from the Mega Millions lottery. It says all we have to do is pay a thousand-dollar processing fee. Can you check this out for us?”
The Mega Millions Lottery and the Federal Trade Commission say it is absolutely a scam. One particular fake says the target has won $700,000.
It even shows a picture of the prize check the victim will receive after they contact the scammer and pay up.
Scams will use important sounding names like the United States National Lottery, Mega Millions Mobile Lottery, USA UK Mega Millions Lottery or Mega Millions International Lottery.
“No representative of Mega Millions would ever, call, text, email or otherwise message anyone about a winning prize,” according to the Mega Millions Lottery.
The same can be said about all legit lotteries and sweepstakes. The bad guys use their names and logos to sucker punch folks who fall for their scheme.
So remember these three basic red flags that scream scam:
- You have to pay to get your prize.
- They say paying increases your odds of winning.
- You have give out your financial information.
Here’s more information that’s good to know dealing with prize scams from the Federal Trade Commission:
3 Signs of a Prize…
