Maryland's AG Warning People About Lottery Scam Letter
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- The state Attorney General's Office is warning residents about a lottery scam targeting Maryland residents.
The state's Consumer Protection Division on Monday said a fake letter being sent out with a counterfeit reproduction of the Maryland Mega Millions logo tells recipients they have won the "Mega Millions International Lottery 2019 Draw."
Officials say consumers should throw away any letter saying the recipient has won an international lottery. They say consumers can report letters to the division and the Federal Trade Commission.
"It was evident that this was probably a problem just by looking at it," Karen Straughn, of the Maryland Attorney General's Office, said.
The division says a letter reported to the attorney general's office claimed to be from the "International Promotion Price Award Dept."
It included the logos of the United Nations and Mega Millions, instructed the recipient to call a foreign number and asked for a percentage of the alleged "winnings."
"If it's asking you to send money to get money, that's probably a scam," Straughn said. "If it's asking you to give your personal information to someone that you do not know, that's probably a scam."
The big red flag, however, is that the lottery never sends out letters.
It's unclear how many people received the letter, and they don't believe anyone has fallen victim to it yet.
