Steer Clear of Scams with these Tips
from the Texas Lottery Commission
 With lottery scams of all types making headlines, the Texas Lottery
Commission wants you to have the facts about these sure losers. While the information below
may not cover every trick these con artists use, these are
some common traps to avoid.
Spotting a Scam
Scammers use a wide variety of tactics to dupe their
victims, but you can usually spot these cons by noticing a few telltale signs.
Rest assured that your chances of winning a drawing
without entering are non-existent.
Winners of a Texas Lottery® game are not required to
pay in order to claim winnings. All taxes or other obligations owed are subtracted from the prize
amount.
You do not need to be a
United States
citizen to claim a Texas Lottery
prize.
Generally the Texas Lottery Commission does not contact
winners because the agency has no way of knowing winners' identities until they come forward with
their tickets. If you win a second-chance drawing, the agency will send the prize to you by mail.
The agency will never, however, ask you to provide money or financial information in order to
receive a prize.
These offers do not originate with the Texas Lottery
Commission and may involve illegal activity. If you are interested in becoming a retailer, please
click
here
.
Protecting Yourself
If all this talk of scams has got you down, cheer up!
There are several steps you can take to keep cheaters from ruining your fun.
-
Only buy tickets from authorized retailers.
-
Don’t buy
Texas
Lottery tickets from anyone located outside the State of
Texas
.
-
Never give out personal or financial information in response to a
request you receive by mail, phone or email.
-
Never pay money to anyone to claim a prize or defray the “costs”
involved in claiming a prize.
-
Be wary of lottery pools. Only pool your money with those you trust
and be sure that you understand exactly what your share in any winnings would be. It is recommended
that you ask for all terms and conditions in writing before joining a lottery pool.
-
Always sign your ticket so that no one else can claim your
prize.
-
Do not purchase a “winning” ticket from a stranger. The ticket may be
altered, fake or already claimed.
-
Report the potential fraud or scam to the appropriate
authorities.
-
When in doubt, call 1-800-37LOTTO (1-800-375-6886). Lottery staff
will be happy to answer your questions.
To learn more about the common Latin Lotto Scam, click
here
for The Truth Report including downloadable flyers in English and Spanish.
For additional information on international lottery
scams and tips to avoid them, click
here
to visit the Federal Trade Commission’s Web page on cross-border fraud.
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