I got a call saying I won the lottery. Is it real?
Good afternoon, this is claims agent David Morrison, badge ID 4471, Mega Millions promotions department. Your phone number was drawn as our second-place winner: $2.5 million and a 2026 Mercedes-Benz. Write down your claim number, MM-226-B. Before the courier releases your check, a $487.50 delivery insurance fee is due by Walmart gift card. Do not discuss this award with your bank or family, disclosure voids the prize under sweepstakes rule 11. Call me back directly at 876-555-0143.
No. Powerball and Mega Millions have no idea who won until someone presents a ticket, so no draw lottery can call you. The fee is the whole scam.
How to spot this scam
- Mega Millions can't call winners. It doesn't know who holds the ticket until that person walks in with it.
- The callback number starts with 876. That's Jamaica, home base of the phone-lottery trade, not any US lottery office.
- 'Don't tell your bank or family.' A real prize survives a phone call to your bank. The secrecy rule exists to keep rescuers away.
- The $487.50 'delivery insurance' is fee one. Pay it and a customs charge appears, then an IRS release stamp, until you're dry.
What to do now
- Don't call the 876 number back. The 'claims agent' is a closer who will work you by phone for weeks.
- Already bought the gift card? Call the issuer with the card number and ask for a freeze on the balance. Minutes matter.
- If this reached an older parent, pull their statements. These crews keep dialing anyone who paid once, some victims wire for months.
- File the number at reportfraud.ftc.gov, then expect more calls anyway. Answering put you on a list the crews sell to each other.
What it looks like on your phone
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Private. Never sold, never tied to you.
Sources and reporting
Use official channels to confirm a suspicious request and report fraud.