Many people are still imagining what they would do with the $1.34 billion Mega Millions jackpot that was won in Illinois, especially as it remains unclaimed.
It’s that thought that is getting some people in trouble, as scammers are taking advantage.
Michelle Reinen from the DATCP told Jim yesterday on the WCUB Breakfast Club that lottery-related scams are “circulating in great volume in our state.”
She described one scam that comes in via text.
She said, “Know that if you receive a text message that claims to be from a past Wisconsin lottery winner that indicates that you have been selected to receive a portion of their winnings, and all you need to do is contact an agent to claim the prize and get delivery, that is a scam.”
Reinen said that the text looks incredibly legitimate, as they are using the names of previous winners, which can easily be verified, “But the person you are asked to contact this ‘agent’ and their phone number, is just someone collecting information, not tied to these winners.”
Example of a scam text message.
Reinen suggested you live by the old adage, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
While some people may find it fun to engage with these scammers and mess with them via text, Reinen suggests not doing that, as they will then “have that baseline information that you are willing to engage, and that could lead to more trouble down the road.”
f you do get one of these scam texts, you are encouraged to take a screenshot and send it to the DATCP.
