Iowa Lottery

Beware Of Lottery Scams

The only lottery that is legally authorized to operate in Iowa is the Iowa Lottery.

If you receive suspicious materials, telephone calls or e-mails or if you are ever in doubt about information that supposedly came from a legitimate lottery, call the Iowa Lottery and ask for our Security Department. Listed below are other tips to keep you safe from lottery scams.

• Never accept a collect telephone call from someone claiming to be a lottery official! Legitimate lotteries do not call collect.
• Never believe a letter, phone call or Internet message from someone who claims they can guarantee you a prize! Legitimate lotteries do not guarantee that you will win a prize and do not require people to join prize pools to play.
• Never purchase tickets from foreign lotteries by phone, mail or the Internet. The sale and trafficking in foreign lottery tickets is a violation of federal criminal law.
• Never agree to help a stranger cash a lottery ticket. If you do, more than likely you will become the victim of a "pigeon drop" scam. If you are approached by a stranger asking for help cashing a ticket, contact Lottery Security and your local law enforcement immediately.
• Unless you specifically entered an Iowa Lottery promotion, you will never be contacted by us informing you that you have won any prize.
• Keep your credit card and bank account numbers to yourself. Scam artists will often ask for them with the goal of accessing your accounts and stealing your money!
• Never pay processing fees, insurance or commissions to claim a lottery prize. Legitimate lotteries do not require winners to pay anything up front to receive a prize.