The Missouri Lottery is reminding players not to fall for a recent national mail scam.
In August, the lottery received several letters from people, some in other states, wishing to claim prizes through fraudulent organizations. These people received letters from organizations purporting to be "National Publishers Clearing House" and "Mega Millions Clearing House," which lists the Missouri Lottery's headquarters address in Jefferson City as their own.
The letters claim recipients were drawn as winners in the "Summer 2015 Promotional," and include a cashier's check that is to be used to pay insurance and processing fees to the "the clearing house," a process the letter says is required by law.
Lottery officials said they never require players to provide money in order to claim a prize. Furthermore, when people play Missouri Lottery Scratchers and Draw Games, Lottery employees have no way of knowing the identity of winners until they claim a prize at a Missouri Lottery retail location or at a Missouri Lottery office.
The Missouri Lottery security section urges anyone who receives mailings like the one described above to contact the Attorney General's Fraud Hotline (800-392-8222) or the Missouri Lottery (751-4050).
A Missouri Lottery-produced scams brochure titled "Don't Get Scammed!" can be found at play centers at all Lottery retail locations throughout Missouri. The brochure includes key security facts about the Missouri Lottery, a list of common types of scams, ways for players to find out if they have won a prize and contact information. Additional security information can be found at MOLottery.com under the "About Us" section.