How can the public protect itself from illegal lotteries?
Illegal lottery scams are on the rise, to protect yourself from becoming a victim: • Never give your credit card numbers, bank account numbers or social security numbers over the phone or over the Internet to a business promising lottery jackpots. • Never accept a collect phone call from someone claiming to be a lottery official. Legitimate lotteries do not call collect. • Never believe a letter, phone call or Internet message from someone who offers you a guarantee of winning a prize or a secret system for winning a prize. Legitimate lotteries do not guarantee that you will win a prize. Legitimate lotteries also do not require people to join a prize pool in order to play or win. • Never trust someone who says you can win the lottery by purchasing a set of “winning numbers” instead of a ticket. Legitimate lotteries require you to buy a ticket for a chance to win a prize. • Never play a foreign lottery by phone, mail or Internet. It is against the law and increases your risk of falling
