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Federal officials work to extradite Jamaican lottery scammersNews Story
Jamaican lottery scammer Sanjay Williams got off a plane in Charlotte, North Carolina, in June 2013, on his way to meet with the people who moved money for him. He was promptly arrested by U.S. law enforcement authorities, convicted in May and sentenced to 20 years in a U.S. prison. While the arrest on American soil spared authorities from extraditing Williams, rounding up his associate in the wide-ranging operation and 13 other suspects still believed to be in Jamaica is proving to be more o
Dec 26, 2015, 1:27 pm - Lottery News

Lottery scam victim lost life savingsNews Story
A Jacksonville, Florida, man said he thought he was helping another man retrieve thousands in lottery winnings, but instead that man took $32,000 of the victim's money and left. Now I can't trust anybody. I can't trust nobody now, the victim said. This changes my way of life. The victim, who is not being named, said he now wants to make sure no one else falls victim to the same scam he did. The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office released a picture of the suspect that was captured in a Home
Nov 7, 2015, 8:14 am - Lottery News

Ex-TSA agent, Atlanta police officer sentenced in lottery schemeNews Story
A Douglasville, Ga., man must serve 27 months in prison and one year of supervised release after pleading guilty for his role in a Jamaican-based fraudulent lottery scheme targeting senior-adult victims in the United States. Dominic Hugh Smith, 27, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Robert J. Conrad Jr. of the Western District of North Carolina. Smith was ordered to pay $724,408.79 in restitution, the U.S. Justice Department said in a prepared statement. In June 2014, Smith pleaded
Oct 26, 2015, 12:29 pm - Lottery News

Oklahoma Lottery warns about Powerball scam spreading through FacebookNews Story
The Oklahoma Lottery Commission is warning the public of a new scam that is affecting Facebook users nationwide. The Oklahoma Lottery says there is a post circulating on Facebook that allows users to click on a link taking them to a website claiming the Powerball is giving away $1 million jackpot instantly. The website address reportedly includes various misspellings of Powerball, including Powerbooll and Pawerball. Officials say there is also a letter circulating with a fake offer fro
Oct 22, 2015, 12:34 pm - Lottery News

Driven to death by phone scammersNews Story
The phone calls wouldn't stop. The man on the other end of the line made promises of a big payoff: millions of dollars in prize money. But first the IRS needed $1,500 in taxes, he insisted, then the jackpot would arrive at the family home, a camera crew ready to capture the excitement. The calls came a couple of times a day; other times, nearly 50. Mr. Albert, we need the money to be sent today ... Don't hang up the phone, Mr. Albert ... Mr. Albert, don't tell your wife about this
Oct 7, 2015, 10:08 pm - Lottery News

Lottery scam with a twist hitting Central TexasNews Story
How would you react if you heard, Congratulations, your prize has been reserved! over the phone? The message is part of a sophisticated phone scam plaguing Central Texas, and is responsible for stealing millions of dollars from Americans each year. Joann Keilberg and her husband Jim almost fell for it. The Smithville, Texas, couple received a call in July from someone claiming to work for Publishers Clearing House. I was happy, Keilburg said. The caller said the won couple won $3.5
Sep 5, 2015, 8:10 am - Lottery News

Florida couple duped by lottery scammersNews Story
The Collier County Sheriff's Office is warning residents about a popular lottery scam. An elderly Golden Gate, Florida, couple told deputies they were swindled out of a large amount of cash Thursday by two people who promised to share lottery winnings with them. A 76-year-old man and his 92-year-old wife said they were at the Grand Buffet restaurant on US-41 in East Naples when two men approached them. The men claimed to have won $500,000 in the lottery. The men said they couldn't cash
Aug 16, 2015, 11:29 am - Lottery News

New York man accused of running lottery con gameNews Story
A Rochester, New York, man has been accused of running a lottery con game in which three senior citizens were persuaded to send him a total of $138,000 in order to claim their mega-bucks winnings. The winnings were fictitious but the crime was real, federal prosecutors say: Roydel Nicholson was charged Friday with mail fraud, wire fraud and money laundering in connection with the scheme, which he allegedly ran from his apartment on Van Auker Street. A criminal complaint unsealed in U.S. Di
Apr 25, 2015, 8:18 am - Lottery News

Nine sentenced to federal prison in lottery scamNews Story
Nine people were sentenced Thursday to serve federal prison time and pay restitution for a bogus lottery scam that targeted elderly victims across the country, according to the U.S. Attorney for South Carolina Bill Nettles. In the scam, the victims would be notified that they had won a lottery or sweepstakes, but needed to pay fees or taxes in advance to receive their winnings, according to federal officials. There were 18 people indicted in the case and three others were sentenced previou
Apr 5, 2015, 3:25 pm - Lottery News

Scamming store owner loses lottery licenseNews Story
RD's Deli and Market in Melrose, Massachusetts, will no longer be selling lottery tickets now that its owner has been accused of trying to scam a mentally disabled woman out of her winnings. The woman bought a winning ticket worth $10,000 at the convenience store, but when she went to redeem it, the store's owner allegedly told her that the prize was only $1,000, and gave her $950 in cash. Separate from the attempt to scam the woman, handing out that much cash is, in itself, a violation, a
Dec 20, 2014, 10:55 pm - Lottery News