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October 5, 2009

Crooks who copy and paste from the Mega Millions Web site are sending e-mail messages, trying to fool people into handing over personal information. A recent e-mail obtained by the Virginia Lottery stated:

“Congratulation! Our database showed your E-mail address was one of the selected jackpot winners of the sum of $520,000.00. Please complete the details below to file your claim and email to our fiduciary agent to process your payment immediately.”

The message then gives the email address of a supposed “United Kingdom Fiduciary Agent.” It includes photos of real Mega Millions winners, which the crooks have lifted from the Mega Millions site.

This is a SCAM. It is intended to fool you into giving crooks your personal information.

Mega Millions winners are NOT selected by e-mail addresses. There is NO “fiduciary agent.” Mega Millions has NO agent of any sort in the United Kingdom.

It is important for you to protect yourself from e-mail scams. Be suspicious of any unsolicited message, especially if it claims that you have won a game that you did not play. If you did not buy a Mega Millions ticket, do not let anyone tell you that you won.

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