Have you ever received an email or phone call about winning a lottery prize? Odds are it’s a scam.
If something sounds too good to be true, it usually is.
Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon to be contacted by someone saying you won a Powerball® or Mega Millions® prize — especially when the jackpots are high. However, some scammers claim to be from the Minnesota Lottery and use our logo and our current promotional artwork to lure recipients into thinking they’ve won a prize.
Another tactic that we’ve seen is scammers targeting our giveaways and social sweepstakes posts on Facebook to try to engage with people who comment on our posts. We do our best to block and ban these scammers, but if you are contacted by a suspicious account, we encourage you to report and block on Facebook.
Remember, the only way to win a lottery prize is to buy a ticket from an authorized Minnesota Lottery retailer, or enter an official Minnesota Lottery contest or 2nd Chance drawing through mnlottery.com, or a social sweepstakes on an official Minnesota Lottery social media account.
If you’ve won a Minnesota Lottery contest, 2nd Chance or social sweepstakes, will you be notified from a Minnesota Lottery employee, and you will be able to verify it’s authenticity by checking the lottery’s winner’s page on our website.
If you are contacted by someone stating you won a lottery prize, follow these tips to avoid becoming the next victim:
Never click on links. If you receive a suspicious email, or message through Facebook, never click on it or open any links. Scam emails often contain errors in grammar, spelling and punctuation. The only legitimate message coming from the Minnesota Lottery through Facebook would include a blue verified check mark.
Do not send money. This includes credit card information, cashier’s checks, money orders, or any other type of payment. The Minnesota Lottery would never ask you for money or your credit card information.
Never give out personal information. This includes your phone number, address, mother’s maiden name, bank information, credit card numbers, Social Security number, PINs or any other personal information.
To report a lottery scam contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the U.S. Postal Inspection Service or the Minnesota Attorney General.
