FBI warns millions of lottery scam sent in mail
Nov 3, 2016, 5:04 AM
FILE - In this July 1, 2016, file photo, Mega Millions lottery tickets rest on a counter at a Pilot travel center near Burlington, N.C. The Mega Millions jackpot received a boost to over $500 million for the Friday, July 8, drawing after no one picked the right numbers Tuesday night. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome, File)
(AP Photo/Gerry Broome, File)
PHOENIX — The FBI wants you to beware of mail that says you’ve won the lottery.
People in Georgia have been getting letters on what appears to be FBI and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) letterhead telling them that they’ve won the Mega Millions Lottery Jackpot.
But, they have to do something to claim their prize.
“In order to get it, they have to pay money first. Sometimes it’s a few hundred dollars, and sometimes it’s a few thousand dollars, but it’s always a ‘small fee’ in exchange for a large sum in return,” said Matt Boyden, a Supervisory Special Agent with the FBI and the Program Coordinator for Arizona’s Complex Financial Crime Program.
Boyden says that it’s a scam. This particular scam hasn’t happened in Arizona yet, but similar ones have happened here. He says if you get a letter similar to the ones that are ending up in mailboxes in Georgia or an email or website link that you think is suspicious, there’s a way to report it to the FBI.
“We have a website where people can add all of the details about the scam,” Boyden said.
