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Prize, Sweepstakes, and Lottery Scams
Scammers often use the promise of cash or prizes to steal people's money.
You might get a call, message, or letter saying you won a big prize – money, a computer, a trip, or a car, for example.
Or, you might see a social media post where someone claims they won the lottery and want to give away some of the money.
How does "free money" wind up costing you? Scammers insist you pay them to collect the winnings.
Protect Yourself
- Only scammers will say you have to pay “taxes” or other fees up front to claim winnings.
- Only scammers will ask you for private information like your bank account or credit card numbers.
- Only scammers will send you a partial winnings check with instructions to send money somewhere else. These checks are always counterfeit – and if you deposit one and forward money to someone, you'll have to pay back the bank.
- Do not click on links in surprise emails and messages about prizes. Scam links can infect your device with malware or send you to scam pages designed to steal your information.
Prize scams can result in high dollar losses. Many lottery and sweepstakes scammers pretend to befriend their victims so that they can get repeated payments. The feeling that there's a personal connection – and the belief that there's a big payout looming in the future – can make it hard for people caught up in these scams to sever ties. If you or someone you know is in this situation, Scam Squad can help.
Not sure if a prize offer is real? Call Scam Squad at 216-443-7226.