New York Proactive Against Lottery Scammers

Posted on April 5th, 2009

The head of the New York Lottery is warning residents of new lottery scams. The New York State Lottery is producing public service announcements in English and Spanish which will be distributed to media outlets across New York. New York Governor David A. Paterson stated, “As consumers struggle with hard times caused by the economic downturn, they may be even more tempted to respond to false announcements they receive informing them that they have won a lottery. “Our advice to those who receive notices that they’ve won a lottery they didn’t enter is clear and simple: Don’t respond!”

Lottery scammers are using email, direct mail, and the telephone to lure US lottery players into purchasing tickets for high stakes foreign lotteries. These solicitations violate US law which forbids the cross border purchase of lottery tickets by phone or mail. Many lottery scammers use these offers to obtain personal financial and banking and credit card information.
The ads which feature New York lottery personality Yolanda Vega offer the following tips;

• Don’t respond to an e-mail or advertisement seeking personal information like bank account or Social Security numbers.

• Never pay any upfront fee to claim lottery winnings.

• Disregard lottery prize notifications sent by bulk mail, even if it’s addressed to you. They’re fake.

• Don’t enter international lotteries from within the US. It is against federal law.

• Ignore notices claiming you won a prize for a lottery for which you haven’t bought or been given a ticket.

Lottery scammers are taking advantage of tough economic times. Lottery players are strongly advised to disregard any offers received from any foreign lotteries. The state of New York is taking proactive action against these lottery scammers and their efforts on behalf of lottery players are to be commended.

Speaking of tough times, many states are now allowing the cross sales of Powerball and Mega Millions in an attempt to boost flagging lottery sales. Rumor has it that the consortiums for both mega jackpot lotteries are talking about the possibility of a national lottery similar to those in Europe and Asia.

In addition several states are considering the possibility of online lottery ticket sales. The technology is already in place including security features which could prevent most forms of lottery fraud. States could also check law enforcement databases to check for unpaid fines and back child support. Most lottery experts say that the sale of online lottery tickets would boost sales significantly. In the near future most states are expected to offer online lottery ticket sales and players are waiting.