Lottery Scams

Here’s a wise warning from the New York State Gaming Commission: beware of scammers and false announcements about lottery prizes. The New York State Gaming Commission (“Gaming Commission”), operator of the New York Lottery, does not contact winners to tell them they have won.

Any message informing you that you’ve won a prize through the New York Lottery is a fraudulent claim, whether you’ve received this news via phone, email, mail, or text message. There is no such prize. Never respond to these messages, do not send money, and never, ever provide your financial or personal identifying information to scammers.

Remember: federal law prohibits the sale or marketing of lottery tickets across state lines, and you must be within the state of New York to purchase a New York Lottery ticket or subscription.

• You are notified about your supposedly winning ticket. Unless you have a New York Lottery subscription, the Gaming Commission does not notify you when you win a prize. For non-subscription prizes, the Gaming Commission does not know who a prize winner is until the winning ticket is presented for payment by a prize claimant. 
• You’re asked to pay a fee. The New York Lottery program never requires you to pay money to claim your prize. “Processing fees” are a myth. Do not send anyone this money.
• You receive a check accompanied by a request for processing or claiming fees. Never deposit it. This check is fraudulent and will bounce.
• Remember: never provide any personal or financial information to a scammer, especially Social Security numbers, bank account numbers, and credit card numbers.
   

The World Health Organization (WHO) has been made aware of correspondences being circulated by scammers (acting under the name of Capital Finance, Inc. London), falsely notifying recipients of such correspondences they have been selected as a beneficiary/winner of a US$1 million lottery compensation prize payment for losses and damages suffered as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Learn more

Report any attempted scam to the Federal Trade Commission at 1-877-FTC-HELP or at the FTC Consumer Information website.

If you need more information, contact the New York State Gaming Commission’s New York Lottery Security Unit at 518-388-3416 or visit the NASPL website for more resources.