Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning today warned consumers about an e-mail scam that tells recipients they have won a prize from the Nebraska Lottery/Bill Gate (sic) Foundation and dventually asks for a processing fee.
Describing itself as a global lottery program, the e-mail scam tells potential victims they have been randomly selected to receive a cash prize and asks them to e-mail their name, telephone number and mailing address to a fiduciary agent. There is even a fictitious ticket number assigned to the e-mail. Once recipients provide their information, the scam then asks for bank designation information and instructs them to send a processing fee of $85 to an address in Ghana.
Attorney General Bruning warned consumers that there is no such arrangement between the Nebraska Lottery and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (the e-mail even misspells the foundations name).
These are scam artists who are trying to get personal information from Nebraskans so they can clean out their bank accounts, Attorney General Bruning said. Never respond to e-mail solicitations for money, and never give out your personal information. Remember, claiming a Nebraska Lottery prize is not complicated and doesnt require a fee. The Nebraska Lottery does not contact those who have not already purchased a ticket or entered a contest.
This latest scam is a variation on the commonly known attempts by individuals to defraud others of large sums of cash allegedly needed to claim a lottery prize. In those instances the criminal claims to have a major winning ticket but a shortage of funds necessary to claim the prize, and offers the victim a share of the prize in return for a loan of the prize claim fee.
Acting Lottery Director Jim Haynes said, When this scam came to our attention, we contacted the Attorney General's Office. Nebraska Lottery prizes can be claimed at retailers, by mail or in person at a claim center. Information on claiming Nebraska Lottery prizes can be found on the Nebraska Lottery Web site at www.nelottery.com or by calling 800-587-5200.
For additional information on this scam or other types of consumer fraud, contact the Attorney Generals Consumer Protection Division at 800-727-6432 or 402-471-2682. En Espanol, 402-471-3891 o llamada gratuita, 888-850-7555.
Since when does NE have a significant Hispanic population?