The truth is, the government won’t call you to demand money so you can collect a prize. They make up fake names like the “National Sweepstakes Bureau,” or pretend they’re from a real agency like the Federal Trade Commission.

They want you to think you’ve won a government-supervised lottery or sweepstakes. Scammers say they’re from the government when they’re not.Here are ways they try to trick you into thinking you really won a prize. Scammers will say anything to get your money.

If they ask for this information, don’t give it. There’s absolutely no reason to ever give your bank account or credit card number to claim any prize or sweepstakes.

You have to give your financial information.

It’s illegal for someone to ask you to pay to increase your odds of winning. But real sweepstakes are free and winning is by chance.

They say paying increases your odds of winning.

And it’s almost impossible to get your money back. Scammers use these payments because it’s hard to track who the money went to. And if they ask you to pay by wiring money, sending cash, or paying with gift cards or cryptocurrency to get your prize, don’t do it. So if someone tells you to pay a fee for 'taxes,' 'shipping and handling charges,' or “processing fees” to get your prize, you’re dealing with a scammer. The good news is that there are ways to tell you’re dealing with a scam. Who doesn’t dream of winning a lot of money or a big prize? That’s why scammers still use the promise of a prize to get your money or personal information.

Report Prize Winnings and Lottery Scams.

What To Know About Real Contests and Prizes.

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Money wheel game scam