“You’ve won the lottery!” It’s something that many people want to hear. But most often, those words come through emails and letters from scammers who are trying to steal your money.
The scammers use different company names, the names and logos of legitimate lotteries, and some have even used our association’s logo to give their scam credibility, but they all operate in a similar manner. We assure you we are not involved in these schemes. The WLA is not a lottery and does not offer any winnings.
Here are some tips that can prevent you from being scammed:
- If someone says you have won a lottery from the World Lottery Association (WLA) it is fraudulent as the WLA is not a lottery and does not offer any winnings.
- If someone says you have won a lottery that you have never played, be suspicious. You can’t win a legitimate lottery if you didn’t buy a ticket.
- If you have caller-ID on your phone, check the area code when someone calls to tell you you’ve won. If it is from a foreign country, that is a red flag. Also, be aware that some con artists use technology that allows them to disguise their area code: although it may look like they’re calling from your state, they could be anywhere in the world.
- Be suspicious if an e-mail contains misspellings or poor grammar, or if the person who called you uses poor English.
- If you are told that you need to keep your “win” confidential, be suspicious.
- No real lottery tells winners to put up their own money in order to collect a prize they have already won. If you have to pay a fee to collect your winnings, you haven’t won.
- Just because a real lottery is mentioned does not necessarily make it a real prize. Someone may be using the lottery’s name without its permission or knowledge.
- Never give out personal information or send money unless you verify the company’s or solicitor’s legitimacy.
- Be suspicious of any offer that asks to have money sent by Western Union, MoneyGram or other transfer methods. It is nearly impossible to track payments and recover funds sent to scammers.
- If they offer to wire the “winnings” directly into your bank account, do not give them your bank account information.
- If you are told that you can “verify” the prize by calling a certain number, that number may be part of the scam. Instead of calling it, you should look up the name of the lottery or organization on your own to find out its real contact information.
- If you think someone on the phone is trying to scam you, hang up immediately. If you engage them in conversation, your name and contact information could end up on a list that’s shared with other scammers.
Following is a list of websites for additional information on these and other scams.
(Keep any documents you may receive regarding your scam, including envelopes, letters and checks, in the event that you are contacted by an investigating agency.)
The following agencies all have online forms to fill out to report this type of fraud: