We all know that the only way we stand any chance of winning the Powerball jackpot is by playing.
However, players are being misled into thinking that there is another way to buying a winning ticket.
A warning has been issued to players, by The Florida Lotto of a scam website selling shares of Powerball tickets on the internet.
The scam website actually features the official logo of the Florida Logo in addition to information about all games offered by the Florida Lottery.
A statement from Florida Lottery has warned that “the scam promotes that it is part of the “USA Powerball syndicate” where shares are bought and winnings are divided equally between each share.
Alan Crowetz of InfoStream www.infostream.cc, who is WPTV ‘s Security Expert, was interviewed on WPTV Ch5 News about the online Powerball scam and commented that there is a huge amount of money to be won, people are very excited and motivated by the huge sums and are not thinking, so the scammers fly right in. He says the scam site is an easy trap.
He told Ch5 News that the logo and the fonts used are incredibly easy to steal.
It’s easy to understand how players would fall for this. Everyone wants a slice of the record breaking jackpot.
Any scheme to ‘get rich quick’ will always attract a lot of people as they feel it must be worth a shot.
Alan says whenever there is any doubt, always go the source. “only buy your ticket at a recognized store” and he demonstrated that on the Florida Lottery website “they actually give you examples of the type of scams to be avoided out there”
Players should be aware that under Florida law, tickets cannot be bought online, over the phone or by mail. Players should remember that ONLY an authorized lottery retailer can sell Florida Lottery tickets.
Alan is convinced this won’t be the last of lotto scams. He advises players to be very careful and if someone contacts them, especially via social media, suggesting going to a site for a ‘great deal’ they should see that as a red flag.