The lines at local gas stations are steadily growing as thousands of people are hoping to win big during tonight's Powerball. $1.5 billion is up for grabs but the Better Business Bureau has a warning for you - scammers have their sight on you.
The Better Business Bureau is warning customers scammers will be trying to trick people into thinking they're winners.
According to the BBB, lottery scams were among the Top Ten Scams of 2015.
The BBB is warning customers from scammers reaching out over the phone, e-mail, or snail mail to "inform" winners of smaller prizes.
One scam the BBB says to be on the look out for is if you're asked to pay taxes or other fees upfront before claiming your prize.
You may receive a congratulatory letter in the mail claiming you're a big bigger, with a check to cover the taxes and fees of the win.
Victims are told to deposit a fake lottery check into their bank account and then send the money to a third party, usually by wire transfer or prepaid debit card, which are hard to trace. The lottery check is a fake that bounces and the victim is out the money.
Here are BBB's tips to avoid lottery scams:
- - Don't pay money or buy any product in order to receive your prize
- - Be wary of requests to send money via wire, prepaid debit card, or gift card
- - Be wary of e-mails claiming you're a small prize winner
- - Remember the only way to win is to play. You can't win a contest you didn't enter.
- - Verify -- but not by using a source the scammers give you. Check if an offer is real, but don't call the phone number in the email or website you suspect may be a scam. If it is a con, chances are the person on the other line will be involved, too.
Check with BBB: Learn more about lottery scams and other cons at bbb.org/scam. Report scams to BBB Scam Tracker (bbb.org/scamtracker).
