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Sweepstakes, lottery scams cost Americans more than $111 million in 2017News Story
A new study reveals sweepstakes, lottery and prize-related scams cost Americans millions of dollars each year. The Better Business Bureau calls these schemes some of the most serious and pervasive frauds operating today. In the past three years, the group says more than 460,000 Americans have reported losing a total of over $330 million to such scams. The Better Business Bureau says these crooks are professionals. They might take advantage of someone in your family, and they can be very c
Jun 5, 2018, 3:45 pm - Lottery News

OOPS: Phone fraudster tries to scam copNews Story
Includes video report A phone scammer made a grave error when he dialed Officer Jeff Bowling and attempted to access his personal information last week. At first, the caller had no clue he was on the line with a cop. Officer Bowling with the Peebles Police Department in Adams County, Ohio, was actually working on the case when he got a call from a strange number that turned out to be a phone scammer. He quickly began to record the conversation, which lasted for 11 minutes. A man on the
May 16, 2018, 2:54 pm - Lottery News

With promise of $1.5m prize, scam artist bilks woman out of nearly $28,000News Story
Vivian Murphy thought back to that heart-stopping moment when the voice on the phone proclaimed her the winner of a $1.5 million sweepstakes prize. For decades, Murphy, 85, had been a huge fan of Publishers Clearing House, the peddler of magazine subscriptions and household items widely known for TV commercials of winners dissolving into happy tears when presented with a gargantuan check. She entered nearly every drawing in the company's 50-year history, during which lucky winners have receiv
May 15, 2018, 8:12 am - Lottery News

N.J. man charged in $10K lottery scam on 84-year-old womanNews Story
A New Jersey man tricked an 84-year-old woman into handing over more than $10,000 after telling her she won a lottery, but needed to pay the taxes on the winnings in advance, authorities said. Earl Alton Smith, 40, convinced the Canandaigua, New York, resident to give him a $5,000 check and one totaling $5,500 in October, New York State Police said in a statement. Smith was arrested by Port Authority police on Wednesday at Newark Liberty International Airport as he was about to board a pl
May 1, 2018, 9:23 am - Lottery News

More millennials than seniors losing money to scamsNews Story
Forget the clich of the vulnerable senior citizen falling victim to scammers a larger share of young people reported that they lost money to fraud than older individuals did in 2017. Among consumers ages 20 to 29, 40% of those who made fraud complaints to the Federal Trade Commission lost money, compared with just 18% of those who were ages 70 and older, according to an annual report from the federal agency released Thursday. The report examined consumer complaints made to the FTC in 2017.
Mar 4, 2018, 10:12 pm - Lottery News

Store clerk busted trying to scam undercover lottery investigatorNews Story
Do you trust your store clerk with your lottery ticket? Maybe you've won a few hundred bucks or more. Will the employee tell you or pocket the ticket while telling you it's a loser? That happened this week at a Fort Myers store, according to the Lee County Sheriff's Office. A Winn-Dixie Liquors employee is accused of keeping a customer's $600 winning ticket and paying him only 5 bucks. Crystelle Yvette Baton was charged with larceny grand theft on Monday. Baton, 42, was caught becaus
Jan 24, 2018, 12:55 pm - Lottery News

Brothers admit guilt in lottery scamNews Story
Two siblings from Maryland who convinced multiple local residents to pay taxes and fees in advance of collecting on nonexistent lottery winnings entered guilty pleas Thursday in federal court. Daniel Archer, 29, and Matthew Archer, 28, each pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Bowling Green to 20 counts of wire fraud. The two men accepted plea agreements in which they will pay $728,442.18 in restitution. Each count of wire fraud carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, but
Jan 19, 2018, 3:06 pm - Lottery News

Fake News: $451 million lottery winner Shane Missler NOT giving away $5,000 to retweetersNews Story
By Todd Northrop When a 20-year-old Florida man won a $451 Mega Millions jackpot earlier this month, the first thing he did was post a brief social media post. Now Internet scammers have mimicked him, and are creating numerous bogus social media accounts in an attempt to deceive people looking for a share of the loot. Shane Missler won the $451 million Mega Millions jackpot on January 5, 2018, but opted for a lump sum payment of $281.2 million instead of the full amount divided into 30
Jan 16, 2018, 10:05 am - Lottery News

2 more suspects plead guilty in $5.7M Jamaican lottery scamNews Story
Two more suspects have pleaded guilty in a Jamaican lottery scam that authorities say bilked at least 90 Americans out of more than $5.7 million. O'Neil Brown and Dahlia Hunter earlier reached plea deals with prosecutors. They pleaded guilty to conspiracy in separate hearings this week. The government dropped dozens of fraud and money laundering counts. Seven other defendants have pleaded guilty in recent months, including Hunter's son, Lavrick Willocks, who authorities say masterminded th
Dec 8, 2017, 9:57 pm - Lottery News

Jamaican court goes easy on lottery scammersNews Story
There are reports of disquiet among Jamaican law enforcement officials over news that 15 men who pleaded guilty to lottery scam-related charges in the Hanover Circuit Court were sentenced to fines totaling $367,000. According to information obtained by The Gleaner-Power106 news centre, the men all pleaded guilty to possession of identity information on November 23rd and 24th. The reports indicate that seven were fined $30,000; five were fined $20,000 while two were fined $25,000. The ot
Dec 4, 2017, 8:27 am - Lottery News