Tis the season... for scammers! Ah yes, those awful people who we play whack-a-mole with all year long are out in force during the holiday season. They might send you a "legit-looking" letter, and they might even send you a (horribly) Photoshopped image of one of our big winner's checks.
As much as you want it to be true - it's all fake. When in doubt, call us at 1-800-999-2959 and ask. Don't be fooled by this common phishing scam, and definitely DO NOT give them any personal or banking information.
Instagram Spam
Scammers are reaching out to Lottery Instagram subscribers and posing as the Lottery! Be sure to manage your privacy settings so that your information will not be accessible to these individuals. When on the Lottery's Instagram page, a scammer only needs to click on subscribers to see everyone that has not set their privacy settings to private. It's good practice to do this across all social media platforms that you use. Be aware! We will never contact you about winning a prize via Instagram.
If you receive a notification like the one that follows, it is a scam. The Colorado Lottery does not notify winners in this way.
Overseas Scam
Players are getting a call from an overseas telephone number (prefix 876) and being asked why they haven't claimed their winnings. This is a SCAM.
The only time the Lottery Drawing Manager will contact a winner is for Bonus Draws and will always identify herself and ask you to come claim at one of the four Lottery Claims Offices. A representative from the Lottery will never contact you unsolicited.
The Lottery will never ask you to give us up-front money to process your claim.
E-Mail Lottery - Canada & Powerball Scam
There is an email scam that is claiming that the recipient is the winner of E-MAIL LOTTERY, held in Canada, in "conjunction" with Powerball Lottery. In order to claim the prize, the recipient is asked to contact a representative in South Africa and provide personal information. DO NOT REPLY TO THIS SCAM.
This is a documented scam and has been reported to the Federal Trade Commission and MUSL for Powerball.
To view a copy of the letter and other examples of letters and notices that are scams, see below. Check back often to be in the know.
2019 Mega Lottery Picker Scam
People are receiving letters that are addressed to them informing them that they have won millions in the 2019 Mega Lottery Picker. In order to claim the prize, the recipient is asked to travel to Madrid, Spain to claim the check, or to pay a "fee" for diplomatic delivery of the check. This letter is mailed from Lisbon, Portugal. The email address in the letter, safewaypayment01@yahoo.com, is an indicator of its non-official capacity. DO NOT REPLY TO THIS SCAM.
This is a documented scam and has been reported to the Federal Trade Commission and the Mega Millions Lottery.
Facebook Scam
Scammers may contact you via private message on Facebook -- don't be fooled! Some scammers even appear to have a local phone number, which is called "spoofing".
Previous Colorado Winner Scam
A new scam may feature someone claiming to be a previous Colorado Lottery winner.
Do not engage with anyone over email or phone that you do not know, and do not give out any of your personal information.
Social Media Scam
A common phishing scam involves social media. A legitimate Lottery will never reach out to customers in this way. If you did not buy a ticket, you did not win money.
Please do not engage with scammers, and above all, do not give them any personal identifying information. Feel free to report such activity to www.ic3.gov.
Mega Millions Scam
The latest scam involves Mega Millions. Do not be fooled.
Mail Fraud Example
Facebook Scam
The following Facebook page is a SCAM!
https://www.facebook.com/US-Powerball-918131538286963/?hc_ref=NEWSFEED
Email Fraud Example
