Beware of lottery scams

FRANKFORT, Ky. (WTVQ) – Attorney General Andy Beshear is warning Kentuckians of lottery scams as the Powerball and Mega Millions jackpots grow.

According to a release from the Attorney General’s Office, people should beware of scam calls, emails and letters claiming you have won millions.

Beshear issued a Scam Alert to help Kentuckians avoid these scams. His office says, according to last year’s reports, Kentucky residents lost more than $320,000 to such scams.

Beshear is offering the following tips to help Kentuckians avoid these scams:

• Never provide your personal or financial information to someone who contacts you unexpectedly over the phone or through email or social media.
• Never pay up front to receive a prize or lottery winnings.
• Never call an out-of-country number to claim winnings.
• Never use methods of payments that are hard to trace and recover like wiring, money orders or gift cards.

If anyone hears of any information regarding any lottery scams, Beshear encourages you to report it to the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection hotline at (888) 432-9347.

Signing up for Scam Alerts can help to stay ahead of scammers, says Beshear. To join text the words KYOAG Scam to GOV311 (468311) or online.