Lottery Scams Increase as Jackpots Climb

Adriana and her friend had the kind of problem we all dream of, particularly when huge lottery jackpots fill the headlines. Adriana's friend had a winning lottery ticket, but she wasn't in the country legally.

At least, that's how the complicated flimflam began last week. In the end, "Adriana" and her friend bilked a Georgia woman out of $2,800 in cash.

As a country, we're increasingly suspicious of each other. Candy from strangers? No, thanks. A surprise inheritance from Abu Dhabi, via email? Delete. But the opportunity to get a piece of a big lottery prize, or even to assist in someone else's good fortune. That's a scam we'll walk into with the best of intentions.

Lottery scams are among the most popular schemes, according to the Better Business Bureau. And they spike the morning after a big jackpot drawing, like the nearly half-billion Powerball prize Saturday night.

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Similar to Adriana and her friend, a scam reported in New Jersey in April targeted Hispanic people with a similar claim that the lottery winner was in the country illegally, but would happily split the prize money with some unwitting mark ready to provide some cash upfront.

A suspect arrested Thursday in New York is accused of swindling women in two different cases with a promise to share his prize money if they would give him cash or jewelry until the ticket was cashed. In both instances, he took them to a location to pick up the ticket and, as they exited the car, he drove off.

Mail, Phone, Internet

Facebook scams — where users provide cash or personal information — are so pervasive, Powerball has a particular warning on its home page.

"Powerball does not contact prize winners through Facebook, and lotteries do not charge fees to claim Powerball prizes," the site warns.

The majority of scams will be delivered in your email Sunday morning, "alerting" you to the fact that you didn't get the jackpot, but you did win a smaller prize.

"Typically, targets of a lottery scam are asked to pay 'taxes' or other fees upfront before they can claim their 'winnings,'" according to the BBB. "Of course, once they make the payment (or several payments), the big prize never materializes and the scammers are nowhere to be found."

A variation on the scam involves a notice in the mail that you're a lottery winner, with a check including extra money to cover the "taxes." The instructions tell you to cash the check and send the money to a third party. The check is a fake.

Scammers might call and congratulate you on a big prize — you just need to wire the tax money.

“If you receive a call saying you’ve won the lottery, it’s almost always a scam,” Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine warned players earlier this year as the Powerball was climbing to a record $1.6 billion. “Con artists play on what’s in the news.”

Sometimes, the scammers are playing the long game. A Powerball scam in Wisconsin involved a call asking victims to pick Powerball numbers over the phone. A later call informED them they had won millions in cash or a car. This wasn't an effort to get cash out of the victim, though. Instead, they were only asked to provide general financial information, including investments and home values. The details would likely be used in a future scam.

Apparently, some scammers just want to be internet famous, or maybe get a date out of their fake Powerball ticket. In January, several social media users shared doctored pictures of winning tickets. One promised to split the money with women who chatted with him.

Another Twitter user offered $100,000 for retweets. Sure! What could go wrong.