News Release

Minnesota State Lottery Warns of E-Mail Scam

MARCH 7, 2008 — The Minnesota State Lottery is warning consumers of an e-mail scam. The e-mail, which gives the appearance of having been sent by the Minnesota State Lottery, indicates the recipient has won $940,000 from the “Minnesota State Lottery Sweepstake Lottery program” held on March 6, 2008. The e-mail asks players to submit their name, address, home telephone number and cell phone number as well as any wire transfer or mailing costs.

This e-mail is a scam and was not sent by the Minnesota State Lottery. “A Minnesota State Lottery prize cannot be won without the purchase of a Minnesota State Lottery ticket and, to claim a Minnesota State Lottery prize, the original winning ticket must be presented for payment,” said Lottery Executive Director Clint Harris. In a legitimate lottery, a winner is never asked to pay any type of upfront costs to collect a prize.

Recipients of this e-mail should not respond to it. The e-mail should be forwarded to the Department of Public Safety’s Gambling Enforcement Division at dps.reportfraud@state.mn.us. Consumers can also contact the Attorney General’s Office at (651) 296-3353 or (800) 657-3787.

For information on scams, consumers may visit the Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Consumer Protection Web site at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/index.shtml or the U.S. Postal Inspection Service's Web site at http://www.usps.com/postalinspectors.

More information on phone and e-mail scams is available on our Scams page on this site.