Oklahoma Lottery Officials Warn Of Scam Calls

The Lottery warns Oklahomans to be aware of a potential scam seeking to trick citizens into believing they've won a lump sum of money. The scam is primarily focused around the Mega Millions game.

"The Lottery security department has observed an increased number of calls from people inquiring if they have actually won a prize or if the call is indeed a scam," said Rollo Redburn, executive director of the Oklahoma Lottery.

Most of the phone calls are coming from the area code 876. The caller tells the person answering the phone that he or she has won a large sum of money and/or additional prizes such as a car or a trip. Citizens are then asked to pay taxes on the prize in up-front payments.

"The information in the phone call is not associated with the Oklahoma Lottery," said Rollo Redburn. "The Lottery will never ask you to send an up-front payment in order to claim a prize."

The Oklahoma Lottery security department urges anyone who receives a call that could be a potential scam to contact the Attorney General's Office at 405.521.3921 or the Federal Trade Commission at 877.382.4357.

All Oklahoma Lottery prizes over $600 must be claimed in person either at an Authorized Oklahoma Lottery Claim Center or at Oklahoma Lottery Headquarters. All prizes over $5,000 must be claimed at Oklahoma Lottery Headquarters in Oklahoma City.

For more information about the Oklahoma Lottery, please visit www.lottery.ok.gov.