After Oregonians’ $1.3 billion Powerball win, Oregon Lottery warns of jackpot scams
Published 3:00 pm Tuesday, May 14, 2024
- Cheng Saephan, 46, of Portland holds up the $1.3 billion Powerball jackpot check at the Oregon Lottery headquarters in Salem on April 29, 2024.
SALEM — In the wake of recent news of Oregonians winning the state’s largest-ever lottery jackpot, Oregon Lottery is warning the public to be on the lookout for scams and phishing attempts that promise jackpots.
According to a news release from Oregon Lottery, over the weekend a text message was making the rounds, falsely claiming that the winner of the $1.3 billion Powerball was donating money to 10 people chosen at random.
Recipients of the text message were asked to call a phone number to claim the prize money winnings.
Justin Hedlund, Oregon Lottery assistant director of security, said in the release that common warning signs of phishing scams include “receiving an unsolicited message with a sense of urgency or a request for personal information.”
Hedlund said Oregon Lottery officials expect other scams may be circulating and trying to leverage the Powerball winner’s story.
“It’s a red flag if something seems too good to be true,” Hedlund said.
Anyone who thinks they may be the victim of a scam can report it to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, at https://www.ic3.gov/.
If a text message you receive looks suspicious, you can forward it to SPAM (7226), and report the phishing attempt to the Federal Trade Commission at https://reportfraud.ftc.gov.