California Lottery issues ‘scam’ alert to players amid tax season dangers

California Lottery
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The California Lottery has urged its players to remain vigilant amid potential scams at this time of year.

As reported by NBC Bay Area, the lottery has warned of increased fraudulent activity in the midst of tax season.

“We’re also hearing about emails from scammers who claim to be connected to some of our bigger winners; they say they’ve been chosen to receive some of the prize money,” commented Carolyn Becker, a California Lottery Spokesperson.

“It’s clearly an attempt to dupe people; the lottery always verifies big winners with a rigorous investigative process to ensure they’re legitimate.”

Writing via its official Twitter account, the California Lottery outlined three specific danger notices.

“Stay aware and alert when you play California Lottery games and avoid scams,” the tweet read.

“The California Lottery does not call players to inform you that you won a prize. The lottery never charges players to claim their prize or asks for any money up front.

“Also, the lottery does not personally contact winners about winning a jackpot before an official claim form is filed.

“For any questions or concerns, please call 1-800-LOTTERY.”

Last year, the lottery urged similar caution over ‘unregulated’ lottery ticket delivery services which could prove dangerous to players.