I've often wondered what would stop an agent from scanning a scratch ticket to see if it was a winner and then cash it. Losing tickets would then be sold. Granted, it maybe hard to implement this scam on a large scale, since it would be difficult to check multiple tickets in a roll in this manner. Also some tickets have some safeguards built in to make this harder, such as Massachusetts and the "Void If Removed" portion of the ticket, which agents use to verify a winner. But even in Massachusetts the ticket can be scanned with a bar code on the back. If the ticket is a winner, the "Void If Removed" is scratched to reveal a secret code to verify the ticket. I am envisioning an agent when the store is closed or early in the morning when no one is around checking the next ticket in a roll. If you get a winner, you cash it and check the next one, until you have a loser. Sell that one to a customer. You wouldn't need to detach it from the rest. I've bought tickets that have been detached from the roll for some reason and then wondered if I may have been scammed. What would stop the agent from checking the first ticket on a roll when he or she activates the roll?
