Good for her, and they should send this idiot to prison for 10 years or deport him if he was not born here...after he spends some time in prison and ownership of the store should be turned over to her as punishment for his dishonesty, at least his share of the store. 

They need to make it mandatory in all states like in Illinois that the machine clearly shows how much the ticket is worth when it is scanned, visible to the customer. 

Maybe, I just don't understand whats going on in the world. I know the economy is struggling but,
have things gotten so bad in this country that 10,000 dollars is worth a 20 year prison sentence?

Lucky woman.  She was smart enough to sign the ticket at least.   I too would be incredibly suspicious if I saw the name on the back of a ticket being scratched out.

I'm taking more advantage now of those self-serve ticket reading machines.  More should too.

Glad she got her money, enjoy your trip.

 just shoot him in public and close the store and be done with it 

Someone so at ease with telling a customer that a $10,000 ticket is worth $3 sounds very practiced to me.  My guess is that few of these pathetic crooks are caught their first time.  Their past "successes" surely make them feel like they'll continue getting away with it.

If someone is that smooth and slick, makes you wonder if anyone should be trusted to check your numbers. Just use the scanner, or better yet

your computer to retrieve the lottery website.

The photo's of this human garbage, should be posted everywhere, to further discourage and humiliate the other would be scammers. 

 Mrs. Kwok should be allowed that pleasure. 

Scammer with the Scanner is in jail and the true winner is one step closer to a much deserved Disney vacation.

I love Happy Endings!

Good for her ,she got 10,000 for a dollar,and he got twenty years for three dollars.I love it when goofballs get caught,because if he did it once ,it will happen again.(not for a while now)lol

Have fun on your vacation,...........................................and to the store owner don't have fun on your vacation in the slammer.

Congras Ms. Kwok I am so glad you signed your ticket enjoy your vacation....... Shame on you Alhindi.....

Sadly, this is the lesson that has been taught to us by bussness owners all across the United States : It's o.k. to try and screw someone out of money that is rightfully theirs.  Big corporations do it on a daily basis.  Greed is the new supply and demand mantra for business.  Lying and cheating is the new code of ethics.  Overcharge the bejeezus out of your customer is the new mission statement.  We must all stop and give thanks to our government for setting the standard of business philosophy in the 21st century.

These stories keep popping up.

Store owners and clerks that lie to and steal from  their customers seem to be more and more common place.

Also problematic scanners are being reported.

Seems the only person or thing you can trust to check your winnings is yourself.

I don't understand why people don't ask for print outs when they go to check their numbers.

This allows you to keep a record of the winning numbers with you which you can check over and over again if you don't believe you actually won.

I always check my own tickets on the web. Louisiana changed its lottery terminals so there is a small display where the customer can see it, that will show how much a ticket it after it's scanned. However, many retailers don't have it in an obvious place and some don't have it out at all.

I'm glad this thief got caught, hope he goes down for a long time.

I don't  think the 10,000 equates to 20 years, it's the act of altering a lottery ticket, which is akin to forgery,

the amount is secondary.

"We must all stop and give thanks to our government for setting the standard of business philosophy in the 21st century."

Good Lord, that's a classic.

Yeah, they set such a great example, let's all run our finances like them. When you're broke and under a mountain of debt from reckless spending, just borrow some more money and spend it even more recklessly! That'll solve the problem!

LMAO.

Dollar to a donut he doesn't do any time.

First offense, probation.

Which sucks cuz it's doubtful this is his first offense, just the first time he got caught.

I'd like to know how many winners he's cashed in his name previously.

I would think that since the lottery department was studious enough to investigate the altered name they may have gone on to check the number of times this same guy has cashed in winning tickets in the past. It would be interesting to know how many winning tickets he's sent in since he started working at the store.

"I'd like to know how many winners he's cashed in his name previously."

Or how about all the free to $100 tickets he stole without signing his name. He was caught because he scratched off the winner's name. With thousands of stores in each state, there is no telling how many people are told their unsigned $600 plus tickets are losers and a clerk keeps the ticket and signs their name. The tickets that don't require signing probably amount to thousands in thefts every day.

The real problem is that many players don't even know the payoffs and the value of their tickets. Some will be happy if the clerk hands them $100 for matching 4 + 1. They are playing because of the multi-million jackpots and don't understand they can still can win something for matching less. It would be very difficult for these thieves to cheat, if every player knew the value of their tickets.

These morons are so stupid they don't know how to use this as marketing to increase their business. We have a few smart stores that advertise winners with big signs and they sell alot of lotto. He's gonna love his lawyer and fine fees.

The ticket was checked because a signature was crossed out and not because the clerk cashed multiple tickets. Dateline NBC ran a story about clerks, store owners, and other people cashing multiple large value tickets and the majority of them were "ten percentors". They got a percentage for cashing the tickets from players who wanted to avoid paying taxes, back child support, or just didn't want to wait to collect.

The act of cashing multiple tickets doesn't prove anything illegal was done.

A job well done by the Louisiana Lottery in helping to track down Fong Kwok for what is rightfully hers, and in denying what appears to be a verifiable seasoned, veteran, well experienced lottery winnings' thief, Alhinda, a day of victory in con and private Kleptocracy.

I hope that the Louisiana Lottery would be further inspired and encouraged to look into their records for possible past fraudulent claims that Alhindi may have made with or without success.

It is a Good day for Fong Kwok, and her victory is also a small victory for so many countless lottery players whose prizes had been swindled away by a few malicious Canadian and USA lottery retailers over the years.

Since the Louisiana lottery will be paying out money to Fong Kwok satisfied that the money is hers, after its security investigations, I suppose that, what is left to be done is for the balance of the process of the law to be completed, and I  hope that this process ensures that greedy Alhindi with 4 retail business opportunities, gets the maximum time of 20 years that the law could possibly impose on him, on this matter.

Stupid people should be banned form playing lottery.

Fong Kwok hasn't had a day off in four years. So when she found out she won $10,000 in the Louisiana Lottery she was ecstatic.

"That day I just was so happy," said Kwok, who owns Bamboo Restaurant in New Orleans East. "I could not believe winning."

Kwok's Mega Millions ticket matched four of the five white ball numbers, plus the yellow Mega Ball number in the April 13th drawing.

But Kwok said a worker at the nearby convenience store where she bought the ticket, Downman Center, first told her she won only $3.

Maybe I missed something somewhere in the story, did she know she'd won $10,000 when she took the ticket to the store or did she find out about her win after the lottery commission tracked her down?

I suspect that she really doesn't fully understand the payout process of the Mega Million if she checked her numbers and didn't realize that she had a ticket worth ten grand and just handed it over to a store clerk.

I am happy to hear that she had the forsight to write her name on the back of her ticket.

I am also glad to see that the thief was caught and hopefully the courts will throw the whole book at him.

Hey, PERDUE,

I think she was just one of those people who hands the tickets to the clerks to check for her and trusts them to tell her the truth.

Bad idea.

Excellent question! Without her detected signature, probably would have gone under the radar. (For the clerk, Kwok and Lottery Commission).

he altered the ticket and basically erased her name and resigned it?   that is ballsy

yikes I hadn't even thought of that.  just think of the many (MANY) others who have previously been scammed by these crooks!

  - that would be a fascinating statistic to post... how many reportable winners he  has had... and then allow a forensic accountant try to locate the winners (good luck with that though)

Good points, Stack.

I didn't even consider all the smaller prizes he was probably stealing for years that don't have to be officially claimed.

Good for her ! I wonder if the thiefs sorry he did it or sorry he got caught.

Just takes a few seconds to sign your name on the back.  Nice to know that if someone alters your ticket they can be charged . 

nice to hear she got her money

Props to the LA lottery commission. I'm glad the REAL winner got her winnings. I, too, wonder how many under $600 winnings this POS stole from people. There will never be a way to tell. I always know how much winnings I'll get back when I hand the ticket to the clerk. I haven't had one try and cheat me unless you count the POS that tried to keep my freebie PB ticket a couple months ago.

I had a clerk keep a free entry ticket for another drawing on me in Harlan, Kentucky last year.

Dirty bastage.

Well! can she also get the fee he would be paid for selling her the ticket. If not she should be able to get that money also he surely shouldn't get it! Good job Lottery Officals.Now ! let's put that Scammer in jail.

He probably had only been knocking off smaller prizes that didn't require the kind of security checks that cashing in tickets at the lottery office required.

Clearly some folks shouldn't be playing the lottery.Don't get me wrong,a$swhippins o' plenty should be handed to the 'camel cowboy' who did it but stuff like this gets old.

People really need to understand what they're playing.

I'm inclined to agree with you Ridge.

This makes me wanna pull out my stupid stick and smack her a couple of times for not checking her tickets herself.

Just SMACK-SMACK-SMACK-SMACK-SAMACK.......

This is another Willis Willis story only with a wonderful ending.

Now the store owner is kicking himself for losing his licenses to sell lottery tickets in all four of his stores and possible prison time and the loss of everything he worked to build all because of a misguided sense of greed.

Now he's spending more than ten thousand dollars to clear his self-induced nightmare.

And his name wasn't Patel,either.

Bad man...very bad man!!!

L.L.

POS...whats that point of sale?

When i hand over my tickets i am just waiting for somebody to pull a fast one...

I will start cussing and yelling...and I will knock over the gum.  I dont especially like it when i hand over the winning ticket and they rip it up in front of me vigorously like i dont have any emotional attachment to that ticket....that ticket was a work of art!!

I do NOT like to feel disrespected at the lottery terminal after all the KUCFing hard work i put in!!!

Some of these guys need a real lesson in customer service!!

@ cletus...i think his first name was alhinda...but his full name probably was alhinda mohammed vishnu patel!!!

one time somebody stole my ticket...and i was sitting at the computer waiting to see if there was Big winner at that store...I was really prepared to go Apesh*t!!

and yes i agree...being a business man with poor judgement...he will get a slap on the wrist...

i mean if he has four stores...than he already has some sort of connections..

LottoB ,

          You're Presumming he will get OFF !! Having 4 stores has no Variable on the out come of the Case against him . It could have been any race that pulled this SCAM on the lady .

ok...i agree...its not about race..its about age and maturity...

all the guys who bust my balls are young...the old world indians are more honest...because they came directly from the old country...they understand how difficult it can be.  But these young whippersnappers,  the are too americanized...always trying to pull a fast one and be "wiseguys"...

there is no way he is doing 20 years...its not like a breaking and entering...the woman was at fault being dumb....and not knowing how to use a computer...or for not going to the store with the guy who cooks the fried rice as her back....those guys know kung fu, they dont f--k around.

That guy get three years tops...and maybe deported.

LottoB ,

           Know you got it !!! Not all People are Honest it does not matter about Race .. Just use you're gut feeling . You do not know Louisiana to well .. Yes, Its her fault to for not checking here on Ticket/Tickets online from her phone , computer or even public library has free internet use ..

If I can't trust the convinient store I frequent then I dont wanna shop there any more.

The Store Person Just Made A Mistake 

People, you're all forgetting one important detail here...YOU'RE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR OWN TICKET...AND THE CLAIMING OF IT. Okay, so she wrote her name on the back of it like she  always does which is very good practice...and saved her in this case. However, this never would've even made the news had she PROPERLY CHECKED AND VALIDATED HER OWN TICKET AS A LEGIT WINNER. Never play any game which you don't know how to properly check for winnings...PERIOD.

Now, of course the clerk was dead wrong for doing what he did...sure he was. We should be able to trust those clerks. But, this is the kind of world we live in people...and she was dealing with money, or, the possibility of it. It was her responsibility to correctly validate the ticket. This is why I've always said to get a print out of the winning numbers to compare to your numbers versus the payouts.

Like others here, I wonder just how long he's been doing this and getting away with other winning tickets...this ain't his first rodeo people. Stores are required to print out and maintain slips with the winning numbers right next to the register or in the vicinity thereof. Use them and stop trusting those <snip> clerks!!!!

If this stings a little bit, it's suppose to because the truth often hurts.

L.L.

WTF?

unfortunately it gets to the point that there are no more shops to go to!!!

i cant go five miles every time i want to play a front pair!!

i might as well just leave the state!! go to new jersey where all the "honest clerks" work.

The Louisiana Lottery security folks are the heros of this story.  The easy thing would be to ignore the scratched out name and simply pay out the prize.  But they lifted the crossed out signature, figured out the spelling in the signature, and actually managed to track down the person whose signature was crossed out. 

That is some FANTASTIC detective work.

HATS OFF to the Lousiana Lottery for caring to check it out, and having the wherewithal to track down the real winner.

I just have to wonder if i have ever been cheated.  I walk into a store, ask to clerk to check my ticket as i walk elsewhere in the store to pick up a snack. Several times, she would say, you won $3 or $5 or $10 and i just trust her. But, no more!!!

They sure did, being so stupid they thought they'd get away with changing the name on the back of the ticket.

i think i prob have been ripped off.  and just recently too. not a large amount, but  even so ive played for 20+ years. im sure a few smaller wins have slipped thru.

anyhow , way the gov snooping is going they can prob just run some finger prints thru the TSA computer and find everyone whos touched that ticket, too easy.

glad this happened now theres 1 less theif checking lottery tickets for the time being

I always triple check my tickets.  Kwoks problem was that  she had established a relationship with the store employes and owner.  So she trusted them.  How was she to know? Like I said.  I triple check my numbers becaus money changes folks. I'm just glad she got her miponey. I'm ecastic that they shut all of that sorry (6 letter, 6 more letters) lottery down in all of his stores. YES!

old ways of old days, let her decide his punishment. imho jail and the loss of the cost of his imprisonment.

It's sad that the world is like it is, but smart players always know and tell the clerk how much they won.

I always try to go to the same convenience store to cash my winners.  They know my face in there, and since I tell the clerk how much I won, there's never a problem.  Some times when a new clerk I havent seen before appears behind the counter, I make it a point to use the scanner that's located right in front of the lottery terminal. (I always know how much I won long before I walk through the front door of the store. I just scan the ticket to transmit an additional non-verbal message to the new clerk.)

I do that because one time I did not use the scanner, and simply told a new clerk I had won $22.00.  Without any expression on her face, she very matter of factly looked me in the eye and said "Well, the terminal will be the judge of that."  I laughed and smiled, and said "That's true, but the judge is definitely going to rule in my favor."  She said nothing as she checked the ticket, opened the cash drawer and handed me my 22 bucks. 

To this day I wonder what her motivation was to respond to me like she did.  It was probably nothing, and maybe she was just having a tough day, but I couldnt help thinking if I might have slightly annoyed her because I took away her shot at a lousy 22 dollars.   That's the thing, it's just like the Lottery says "You never know."  Maybe the guy behind the counter is honest, and maybe he isnt.  I try to always look for the best in people, but you just never know.

Buddy, I extend mad props to you on both your thinking and execution of ticket validations! This is where any and all troubles with tickets ends...period. Your first sentence is absolutely GOLDEN and the first paragraph, PLATINUM, has every supporting detail needed to avoid clerical issues. I'm personally having a hard time, in this case, with having any sympathy due to exactly what you've laid down as the law.

When it comes to games like this where lots of money can potentially be involved, I'm a firm believer in personal responsibility. Even more so, and importantly, exclusion (anonymity) is a huge factor here. By checking one's own ticket, the player is much, much SAFER in case the ticket is a huge winner like $200K or so. I don't want any clerk in my business because you never know what it could lead to...could be death.

Players should stop being so casual, maybe even lazy, and do the extra leg work to retain their privacy and SAFETY. Just my .02 and your response is TOPS!!!!!

L.L.

If the Lotteries were willing to do the right thing and truly wanted to stop the scams they would tell players the truth: You can't trust the clerks to check your tickets.

They should include that advice in their literature and advertising.

But they don't cuz it doesn't sound good for business.

All Lottery Post Members who have paid attention to the never ending reports of clerks ripping off players know better but the general public and casual or occasional players just don't know about this.

It's good that this crook was caught but it's not enough to hope for justice after the fact. The Lotteries should take a pro-active and preemptive approach to this scandal that most people don't even know about.

And that should begin by just telling people the truth - you can't trust lottery clerks to check your tickets.