Calaveras Resident Receives Lottery Scam Phone Call
Phony lotteries continue to be a jackpot for scammers, ranking as the eighth most prevalent type
of fraud reported to the Federal Trade Commission in 2010 - some 42,000 complaints in 2009.
Many of the cons claim you've won faraway contests, such as the case when a Calaveras County
resident received a phone call on November 15, 2011 informing her that she "won" the New
York State Lottery. The caller had some personal information on the victim and requested to
meet her in person to receive the cash. The Calaveras County Sheriff's Office was notified about
this incident and reminds residents to be resilient about possible phone scams. Typically the goal
is to get you to reveal personal, bank account information, home address, or to make you do
something that will result in unwanted charges on your accounts. Here's what you need to know
about state lottery scams:
• If you didn't buy a lottery ticket from an authorized vendor, you didn't win, plain and
simple.
• No legitimate lottery will ever contact you with news of a win; it's your responsibility to
step forward with the winning ticket in hand.
• You never have to pay upfront fees of any kind to claim a legitimate state lottery payout.
• Never believe claims of a guaranteed prize. Legitimate lotteries make no guarantees of
winning.
• Be suspicious of anyone who approaches you offering to sell what's described as a winning
lottery ticket. Often the excuse is that the person is in this country illegally and doesn't
dare redeem it personally. It's all a lie, of course. This ruse is especially common in
Florida and has claimed many older victims.
New lottery phone scams are always emerging. Report suspicious winning notifications to your
State lottery office, Attorney General, or local law enforcement agency.
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