Last updated on December 31st, 2024
In the midst of the recent billion-dollar Mega Millions jackpot, the New York Police Department (NYPD) has warned consumers to watch out for potential scams regarding lottery jackpots.
The $1.12 billion dollar Mega Millions jackpot dropped last Friday, and the NYPD took to social media to warn the citizens of New York of lottery-related scams that see fraudsters contact unsuspecting consumers and offer them help to cash out their winnings.
The official statement made by the NYPD was shared on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) in a bid to reach out to as many citizens as possible.
More specifically, the NYPD said that such practices are a scam, and urged New Yorkers not to believe anyone who offers help with the purpose of splitting the winnings.
According to the police, the scammers would reach out to victims asking them for an insignificant amount to help them claim the prize, only to then proceed asking for cash and other valuables in return.
New York has been the center of a number of lottery scams in recent years. One of the most notable cases took place between 2017-2020 and involved a gang of three Jamaican emigrants who ran a similar scam that targeted elderly New York residents.
The gang informed the victims that they had won a lottery jackpot but then asked them to pay taxes and fees to obtain their winnings. Needless to say, no prizes were ever materialized, with one of the felons even being extradited from Panama to be trailed in the United States.
Another major case involves Jason Kurland, a lawyer from New York who dubbed himself the “Lottery Lawyer”, advertising his services with the purpose of gaining the trust of the winners in order to help advise them on how to best invest their winnings.
One of his clients was the $1.15 billion Mega Million winner, as well as additional lottery players who won $245 million and $150 million. Kurland and his accomplice were found guilty of falsely advising winners to invest in businesses co-owned by Kurland, a scam that cost the clients more than $100 million.
