FLORIDA LOTTERY 

WARNS CITIZENS OF EMAIL SCAM

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FRIDAY, JULY 10, 2015

CONTACT: FLORIDA LOTTERY COMMUNICATIONS
(850) 487-7727

FLORIDA LOTTERY WARNS CITIZENS OF EMAIL SCAM
~ Citizens are urged to contact the Lottery?s Security division or local law enforcementif they suspect a scam ~

TALLAHASSEE - The Florida Lottery is warning citizens of a lottery scam in which scammers are sending emails to the public in an effort to obtain personal and financial information.

The email includes the Florida Lottery logo and uses the Florida Lottery headquarters' address as part of the letterhead. In further efforts to appear legitimate, the email references other companies, including: LinkedIn, Microsoft, Google and eBay. The email states that the recipient has won a prize and should contact the listed "Contact Person" to claim his or her prize. The email asks the individual to provide general information required to claim the prize. The email does not ask the individual to pay or provide financial information, but once he or she responds to the "Contact Person", the scammers will then request financial information and/or that a tax or fee be paid to claim the prize.

The Florida Lottery does not contact players to inform them that they have won a prize unless they have entered a promotional game or second chance drawing on the official Florida Lottery website or social media pages. Individuals who receive an email similar to the one described should not respond to the email. For more information and to find other tips to protect yourself, please visit flalottery.com. To report a lottery scam, consumers should contact the Florida Lottery?s Division of Security at (850) 487-7730.

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Don’t fall victim to scams or fraud. The first step to protecting yourself is to recognize suspicious activity. This can take many forms, such as:

• Someone pretending to be an FPL employee or contractor to gain access to your home
• A company claiming to be FPL or associated with us to solicit your personal information or sell their products and services over the telephone or through the mail
• Emails or websites that appear to be from FPL and require you to provide personal information

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