WARNING: Don’t Fall For New Scam Involving Michigan Lottery

It's that time of year again to be aware of new schemes that scam artists are using on Michigan residents. This time, the Michigan Lottery is warning people to be aware of lottery-themed scams. And thieves have more than one way they're trying to swindle money from you.

Michigan Lottery Warns Against New Scams

According to WLNS, The Michigan Lottery warned residents of two new ways scam artists are scamming money from people.

Get our free mobile app

• A person receives a letter, email, text or phone call to inform them that they’ve won a big lottery prize, and must first pay a fee to collect the prize. If the person agrees, the scammer gets them to mail a cashier’s check, make an electronic funds transfer or arrange a meeting to get money in cash.
• Someone who claims to be a lottery prize winner contacts a person by mail, email, text or phone call. The scammer tells the person they’ll share the prize if the person sends them money. If the person agrees, the scammer convinces them to mail a cashier’s check, make an electronic funds transfer or meet in person to give cash.

What To Do If You May Have Been Scammed

The first way to know you're being scammed, is if you haven't bought a lottery ticket or played a game there is no way that you could have won a prize. The Michigan Lottery processes all prize claims for free, and players must have a valid winning ticket to claim a prize. The Michigan Lottery says that if you think you’ve been a victim to one of these scams, please contact local law enforcement.