Attorney General Tim Fox and Montana Lottery Director Angela Wong cautioned Montanans today about lottery-related scams that have become increasingly prevalent and urged them to be vigilant.

“These scams can really impact your finances and cost you tens of thousands of dollars,” Attorney General Tim Fox said. “Scammers prey upon people who live alone, and since the pandemic has led to more isolation, bad actors see this current situation as an opportunity to target people, often senior citizens. Fortunately, by knowing the red flags and exercising caution, consumers can almost totally shield themselves from the lottery scam.”

While they differ on specifics, most lottery scam attempts follow the same formula: A person receives an unsolicited letter, e-mail, or phone call from an organization claiming to be a legitimate lottery in a foreign country, a private sweepstakes firm, or a lottery “commission.” They all bear the same message: “You’re a winner!” There’s a catch, of course: To redeem the “winnings,” a person must first send or wire money to lottery or sweepstakes officials. The scammers often request that the money be wired; money sent in this manner is much harder to trace.

Montana Lottery Director Angela Wong issued this reminder to consumers: “You’ll never win a legitimate lottery you didn’t enter. You’ll never be asked to pay upfront for a legitimate lottery prize, and you’ll never be contacted out of the blue by a legitimate lottery.”

In order to prevent Montanans from falling victim to lottery scams, Fox and Wong offered a few reminders from the Montana Lottery:

• Legitimate lottery officials never contact the winner; they do not even know who the winner is. A real lottery knows only the winning numbers on a ticket and where the ticket was sold. The winner must keep the ticket and confirm the numbers with lottery officials. If you’re contacted by someone claiming you’ve won the Montana Lottery, it’s a scam.

• In a real lottery, winners pay for nothing other than their ticket. All federal and state taxes are paid before the Montana Lottery releases money to the winner. A winner is never asked to pay such taxes out-of-pocket before receiving his/her prize.

• Lotteries of foreign countries are illegal in the United States. No legitimate foreign lottery sells tickets in America. If you’ve been contacted by a lottery claiming to be affiliated with a foreign government, it’s a scam.

To report an unsolicited letter, e-mail, or phone call that appears to be part of a lottery scam scheme, call the Montana Office of Consumer Protection at (800) 481-6896 or (406) 444-4500.