The FBI’s Atlanta field office urges Georgia residents to beware of Mega Millions Lottery scammers who are impersonating FBI agents through seemingly official federal letters.
Reports to the FBI state that scammers are contacting residents, telling them that they’ve won the lottery, but that they owe an advance fee.
The advance fee portion of the scam begins by requiring the “winner” to wire transfer thousands of dollars to the “lottery official” in order to secure the winnings.
According to the FBI, the documentation sent to the victim includes phony letterhead stationary from the FBI and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp (FDIC), serving as letters of authentication.
The FBI is urging the public to remain aware of this scam and others like it, that require an advanced fee via wire transfer or other means that make halting or even tracing a transaction almost impossible. In addition, the FBI nor FDIC provide “authentication” in such matters.
Anyone receiving scam notifications like these should file a report with the FBI at www.IC3.gov.
