Attorney General Bird Warns of Sweepstakes Scams on National Lottery Day

DES MOINES—Today, on National Lottery Day, Attorney General Brenna Bird is warning of sweepstakes and prize scams.

Lottery scams occur when people are told they’ve won a sweepstake or prize, and they have to make a payment to receive it.

Last fall, the Iowa Attorney General’s office saved a central Iowa couple $16,340.18 that they sent to a scammer through the mail. The scammer called the 72-year-old husband and told him that he won a Publishers Clearing House prize of $3.5 million, plus $5,000 a week for life. But to receive the prize, the man was instructed to pay more than $16,000 upfront in fees and taxes. The man then went to the bank, got a cashier’s check, and sent the check via express mail to a Miami address that the scammer gave him. When the man’s wife and daughter learned what had happened, the wife called her son-in-law for help. The son-in-law was at a training for Iowa county attorneys where he discussed the scam with an investigator from the Iowa Attorney General’s office. The investigator immediately worked with a local postal inspector to intercept the package, which was returned to the Iowa couple.

“Con artists contact victims and convince them they’ve won a trip or a car, and claim the victims have to pay a fee to claim their prize,” said Attorney General Bird. “But if you win a prize, you shouldn’t have to pay for it. We are dedicated to protecting hard-working Iowans from predators who exploit them in order to steal from them. I encourage Iowans to be aware and remember, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.”

How to protect yourself from lottery scams:

• Scammers call, text, email, or mail to notify you that you won the lottery, a sweepstakes, or a prize.
• Scammers demand upfront payments to collect your winnings or pay related taxes/fees.
• Scammers send emails or texts requesting personal/financial information for you to claim lottery wins or prizes.
• Scammers impersonate lottery officials or pretend to be from well-known companies that run sweepstakes to sell fake tickets or entries, demand money, or get your personal/financial details.
• Never provide personal or financial information over the phone or email to someone unknown for alleged lottery or prize winnings.
• Report suspicious activity to the Iowa Attorney General’s Office or local law enforcement.
• If you or someone you know has been targeted by a lottery scam, contact the Iowa Attorney General’s office at 888-777-4590 or file a complaint online: https://www.iowaattorneygeneral.gov/for-consumers/file-a-consumer-complaint.