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In Colorado, Warnings Out About Lottery Mail Scams

The Colorado Lottery is warning consumers to steer clear of a new Lottery scam that promises $85,000 in easy cash.

That’s a first clue. Folks, there ain’t no easy cash in the lottery business.

The scammers (using Colorado Lottery logos and a Denver mailing address) are contacting consumers through the mail, informing them that they¹ve won an unclaimed prize and asking them to call a number in Montreal to claim the winnings.

Their names, the letter claims, were drawn from databases culled from
Reader’s Digest, Publishers Clearinghouse, and Computer Games and
Sweepstakes. The letters also include a check for $2,150, which is meant to cover processing fees and will be deducted from an individual’s winnings.

The Colorado Lottery is urging people who receive that note not to cash the check. It is not an official Colorado Lottery check, and
cashing it may give a scam artist access to your personal bank account
information.

Colorado Lottery Director Jack Boehm, said “Consumers should
always be suspicious for offers of quick money, particularly if the deal
requires a winner to pay fees in order to collect a prize. The Colorado
Lottery never requires good faith money from its players.”

Players who receive the letter should disregard the check (and any
associated offers) and report the scam to the proper authorities.

Colorado put out the following tips to help consumers avoid falling prey to lottery scams:

1. Never reveal your credit card and bank account numbers to anyone unless you are certain the contact is legitimate, from a reputable company with whom you have a long-term relationship.

2. It is illegal for U.S. citizens to participate in foreign lotteries
through the mail, so throw away any letters claiming you¹ve won a large prize.

3. Be suspicious if you receive a winning notice for a drawing you never entered or purchased a ticket.

4. Never give money or valuables to a stranger.

I’ve devoted a full chapter on scams (and how to recognize them) in my recently published book, LOTTERY: A GUIDE TO AMERICAN LOTTERIES, by Rick Dandes (McAllister Books).

There are a lot of scam artists out there preying…particularly on senior citizens… so get the book, or at least go online and google lottery scams to learn more about it.

Don’t let these vermin crooks scam you out of your hard earned money.