TALLAHASSEE – The Florida Lottery is warning citizens of a lottery scam in which scammers are sending emails to the public in an effort to obtain personal and financial information.
The email includes the Florida Lottery logo and uses the Florida Lottery headquarters’ address as part of the letterhead. In further efforts to appear legitimate, the email references other companies, including: LinkedIn, Microsoft, Google and eBay. The email states that the recipient has won a prize and should contact the listed “Contact Person” to claim his or her prize. The email asks the individual to provide general information required to claim the prize. The email does not ask the individual to pay or provide financial information, but once he or she responds to the “Contact Person”, the scammers will then request financial information and/or that a tax or fee be paid to claim the prize.
The Florida Lottery does not contact players to inform them that they have won a prize unless they have entered a promotional game or second chance drawing on the official Florida Lottery website or social media pages. Individuals who receive an email similar to the one described should not respond to the email. For more information and to find other tips to protect yourself, please visit flalottery.com. To report a lottery scam, consumers should contact the Florida Lottery’s Division of Security at (850) 487-7730.
