As scams from fraud to price gouging are on the rise throughout the United States, the Illinois Lottery is reminding its players how to ‘play it safe’ during these uncertain times. According to the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries, there has also been a rise in reported lottery scam attempts (Scam Alert), as the world navigates through unprecedented challenges and opportunists try to take advantage of economic upheaval caused by the Coronavirus. The Lottery outlined some Do’s & Don’ts to help prevent player information from getting into the wrong hands:

● Don’t ever purchase a “winning ticket” from an individual. If it is too good to be true, it probably is.

● Don’t give your personal information to someone on social media who claims to be from the Lottery telling you that you’ve won a prize. The Illinois Lottery does not reach out on social media to let you know you have won.

● Don’t ever pay cash up front to cover a processing or claiming fee to redeem a winning ticket. You will never be required to give money or anything of value to claim your prize.

● Do take extreme caution if contacted about a lottery or sweepstakes “prize” that you have “won.” Remember, you can’t win a legitimate lottery if you didn’t buy a ticket.

● Do hang up on a direct marketer who promises you that you won a lottery prize. That’s not how the Illinois Lottery operates.

● Do contact the Player Hotline on 1-800-252-1775 or login to your online Illinois Lottery account to view your transaction history to see if you are holding a winning ticket.