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As you probably know, scams of various types are ubiquitous on social media.
Some scams run their course and are never seen again, but most just seem to pop up every now and then.
One of those recurring “pop-up scams” is a lottery scam targeting people who enjoy playing the Powerball and Mega Millions multi-state lotteries that frequently advertise massive prize payouts for the winners.
In one variation of the scam the scammer places a post in your newsfeed telling you that you have won a massive jackpot, and all you have to do to collect it is to pay a processing fee and/or give them your bank account info (so they can deposit your winnings – yeah, right!).
Another variation of the lottery scam requires you to purchase a “ticket” online. Of course there is no “ticket” because you can’t buy them from just any Internet rando.
In a slightly more benign version of the scam you are asked to simply “Like” the scammer’s fake lottery Facebook page in order to play.
They won’t ask you for any money or financial information, but after their Facebook page has attracted tons of Likes they’ll either use that page to perpetrate real scams or sell the page to another scammer.
Bottom line: If you want to play a lottery and have any real chance of winning (or at least not get scammed), you’ll need to either visit a local retailer and buy a physical lottery ticket or play via your state’s official lottery website or app.
Bonus tip: Unfortunately, scammers love to target seniors because they tend to be more trusting than younger folks when it comes to the things they see online. If you happen to fall into this category this excellent resource can help you stay safe in our dangerous Internet world. (#ad)