Be On Guard Against Lottery Scams

For the past couple years, we’ve been working to get the word out about lottery scams that have been hitting in the United States. There unfortunately seems to be a steady stream of them making their way around via e-mail, letters and telephone calls. We’ve seen some new examples just this week, so it’s a good time to call attention to the matter again.    

In most instances, the crooks running the scams are working from outside the United States and they move around a lot, making it extremely difficult to track them down and prosecute them for what they’re doing.

The best way you can protect yourself is by remaining on the look-out for such scams. And don’t respond to them. To see some examples of the scam letters and e-mails we’ve seen, click here, here and here.         

On our Web site, we have an entire section devoted to player security, including warnings about these scams. Please visit our site to see all the details there. Here are some quick reminder warnings to keep in mind and protect yourself from scams:

• Remember that the only lottery legally authorized to operate in Iowa is the Iowa Lottery. If you receive suspicious materials, telephone calls or e-mails or if you are ever in doubt about information that supposedly came from a legitimate lottery, call the Iowa Lottery Security Department at 515-725-7888.
• Never accept a collect telephone call from someone claiming to be a lottery official! Legitimate lotteries do not call collect.
• Never believe a letter, phone call or Internet message from someone who claims they can guarantee you a prize! Legitimate lotteries do not guarantee that you will win a prize and do not require people to join prize pools to play.
• Never purchase tickets from foreign lotteries by phone, mail or the Internet. The sale and trafficking in foreign lottery tickets is a violation of federal criminal law.
• Never agree to help a stranger cash a lottery ticket. If you do, more than likely you will become the victim of a "pigeon drop" scam. If you are approached by a stranger asking for help cashing a ticket, contact Lottery Security and your local law enforcement immediately.
• Unless you specifically entered an Iowa Lottery promotion, you will never be contacted by us informing you that you have won any prize.
• Keep your credit card and bank account numbers to yourself. Scam artists will often ask for them with the goal of accessing your accounts and stealing your money!
• Never pay processing fees, insurance or commissions to claim a lottery prize. Legitimate lotteries do not require winners to pay anything up front to receive a prize.