NY Police Warns of Scams Amid Surge in Lottery Fever

The New York Police Department (NYPD) used the recent build-up in enthusiasm surrounding the $1.27 billion Mega Millions jackpot which dropped last Friday to warn consumers about bad actors who have been taking advantage of lottery hopefuls in the state.

In an official statement shared on the social media website X (previously Twitter), the NYPD warned about a scam that saw fraudsters contact unsuspecting citizens and ask them to help cash out their winnings, i.e. the fraudsters’.

Lottery Frauds Continue in New York, But Police Keep Close Watch

This, the police said, was a scam and was best left unheeded. Citizens were urged not to believe those bad actors who would be looking to split the winnings with them.

Those strangers would hook a victim with the promise of divvying up the prize, an insignificant amount, but soon after proceeding to ask for cash and valuables in return, the NYPD explained.

The police did not talk at length about the particular scam that had triggered it to issue the warning in much more detail but urged people to remain vigilant and not cave into strangers’ offers that could bring them financial ruin.

There have been numerous instances of lottery scams in New York throughout the years. One of the most major cases involves a trio of Jamaican emigrants who ran a scam that targeted elderly New York residents between 2017 and 2020.

The victims were informed that they had won multi-million prizes but then asked to pay fees and taxes to obtain the sums. No prizes ever materialized. One of the culprits was extradited from Panama to face due process in the United States.

Not Even the Biggest Lottery Winners Are Safe

Another prominent case involves New York lawyer Jason Kurland, who marketed himself as the “Lottery Lawyer.” As such, Kurland was advertising himself in the United States and looking to gain lottery winners’ trust in helping advise them on how to best invest their money.

He contracted the $1.5 billion Mega Millions winner as one of his clients, and other big-time winners who won $245 million and $150 million respectively. However, Kurland and an accomplice were then found to have advised clients to invest in businesses at least Kurland co-owned costing clients $100 million.

New York has habitually been one of the luckiest states in the country, producing a large number of lottery winners, but also leaving itself susceptible to lottery scams of different sorts.