Robbins Warns of "Foreign Lottery" Scams

Harrisburg – State Senator Bob Robbins (R-50) is reminding individuals to avoid "foreign lotteries," which are simply another scam seeking to rip-off people of their hard-earned money.

In the past, these solicitations would contact U.S. citizens via direct mail or telemarketing, but are now primarily coming through email messages. Typically, the message will imply that you have won or have been randomly selected from a pool of lottery participants to share in a cash prize. If you respond to the solicitation, you will be notified that you have a limited time to reply and that you are responsible for costs such as taxes, custom fees, insurance or other delivery costs. You will then be asked for your bank account or credit card numbers. In some cases, you may even receive what appears to be a legitimate check for some of your winnings; however, these checks are fraudulent. Should you attempt to cash a check , you would be held responsible for any overdrafts when it bounces.

According to the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office, if you receive a foreign lottery solicitation, remember first and foremost that it is illegal for a U.S. resident to participate in a foreign lottery. In addition:

Never disclose information regarding your financial accounts or personal identifiable information such as your Social Security Number or date of birth to any companies who you are not familiar with.
You cannot win a lottery that you did not enter.
You will never have to pay fees in advance to a legitimate lottery in order to claim your winnings. Taxes and custom fees would be your responsibility after receipt of your winnings. Delivery costs or insurance, if any, would be paid for by the lottery.
By participating in one of these bogus lottery scams you will certainly be placed on a "sucker list" and be targeted by similar fraudulent offers in the future.

"Once a person succumbs to this fraud, it is extremely difficult to recover any losses," said Sen. Robbins. "As is often the case, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. No matter what foreign lottery is being pitched, consumers are warned to avoid these rip offs."

If you have questions about foreign lotteries or feel that you may have already been taken advantage of, contact the Attorney General's Bureau of Consumer Protection at 1-800-441-2555 or visit their website at www.attorneygeneral.gov.

CONTACT:

Nate Silcox
(717) 787-1322