Michigan Lottery Warns of Possible Holidays Scams
As the holidays approach, the Michigan Lottery advises consumers to be wary of potential lottery scammers acting as lottery agents.
In a release on Tuesday, the Michigan Lotto reminded the public that prizes are always handled free of charge and that you can only win a prize if you have purchased a ticket.
A warning is given near the Christmas season when fraud is known to be frequent. It also comes when online sportsbooks, casinos, and account security receive much attention.
Lottery Fraud Alerts in Michigan
Scams in which the target is told they have won a reward are nothing new. The Michigan Lottery noted two as typical:
By letter, email, text, or phone, a lottery winner is informed that they have won a reward and must pay a fee to claim it.
Someone gets contacted by a con artist who claims to be a lottery winner. In this instance, they indicate that they will split the prize if the person pays them with cash.
In each instance, the con artist sends the victim a cashier's check, completes an electronic money transfer, or even consent to a face-to-face meeting for a cash transaction.
According to the press release, the con artist would engage in deceit for longer if given more money.
To be clear, you can only win a Michigan Lottery prize if you have a ticket, and there is never a cost for claiming a prize.
Call the Michigan Lotto Player Relations Division at (844) 887-6836, option 2, or email to [email protected] to inquire about the legitimacy of a win.
Online Casinos and Sportsbook Advise Players to Keep Their Accounts Safe
The Michigan Lottery's announcement comes only a few days after DraftKings said that some of its customers were seeing unusual activity with their accounts.
Keeping your account secret is essential due to the amount of money and the personal information associated with online casinos and online sportsbooks.
Most online casinos in Michigan use two-factor authentication, which necessitates entering a code provided to your phone or email. However, users are strongly advised to create original passwords for their accounts.
The Michigan Gaming Control Board has policies in place to safeguard state gamblers, and consumer safeguards are in effect. Still, the best course of action is erecting as many barriers as possible between yourself and prospective adversaries.