The Virginia Lottery is warning Monday that scammers are at it again.
Fraudsters are messaging people, telling them that they’ve won the lottery. There’s just one catch, they’ll say all you have to do to collect your prize is pay a “taxable fee.”
Don’t fall for it. The Virginia Lottery says you’ll never have to pay money for a prize you’ve already won. They add, if you didn’t buy a ticket you can’t win and never give out your banking information.
“If you’ve won, then taxes or fees, or in Virginia, if you owe outstanding fines or penalties, that’s all taken out of the prize,” Virginia Lottery Public Affairs Specialist John Hagerty says. “If it seems too good to be true, it probably is too good to be true. I know it’s very seductive to hear those words, ‘You’ve won the lottery,’ but don’t suspend your better judgment.”
The Virginia Lottery says you need to protect yourself because once you give away money, there’s a good chance you won’t ever get it back.
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