Digital Defense: Don’t Press Your Luck

When Do Lottery Scams Happen?

These types of scams occur over the phone, via email, or through a mailed letter; you will be informed that you’ve won the lottery, a sweepstakes, or a prize that is high in value – typically a new vehicle, electronic device, or something similar.

Warning Signs to Look for:

In the case of lottery scams, there are three indicators to look for:

  1. You need to pay to receive your prize. Real prizes are free; if you’ve been asked to pay taxes, shipping and handling, or processing fees, that’s a scam.
  2. If you pay, your odds of winning will increase. Paying to increase your odds is illegal – only scammers will ask this.
  3. Your financial information is needed. Claiming a prize or entering a sweepstakes should never require your account number or credit card information—if it does, it’s a scam.

How They’ll try to trick you:

Scammers will try anything to get your information, like these examples:

  • Claim to be a representative of the government
  • Pretend to be from a well-known organization running a real sweepstakes
  • Contact you through text, email, or social media to get your information
  • Claim you’re the only person receiving this pitch
  • Tell you you’ve won a foreign lottery
  • Pressure you to act as fast as possible
  • Send you a check and ask you to send a portion of it back

What you should know about real contests and prizes:

There are a variety of legitimate contests and sweepstakes run by companies across the U.S. – here’s what you should know about them:

  1. Real sweepstakes are free, and any winners are selected by chance – this will be disclosed in the initial advertising
  2. The company promoting the contest might sell your information to other advertisers
  3. All contests and sweepstakes will have disclosures, such as the value of the prize and what the prize is

Worried You’ve Paid a Lottery Scammer?

Please alert Adams Community Bank if you suspect a lottery scammer has been given access to your account or debit card information. In this instance, the best way to contact us is by calling Customer Connect at (413) 743-0001.

Additionally, you can report the incident to the FTC, your local attorney general and consumer protection office, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (if the scam came in the mail). You can also help your friends and relatives from falling victim to a lottery scam by telling them about your experience.

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