What common scripts do impostor scammers use to falsely claim you won Mega Millions?
Executive summary
Scammers impersonating Mega Millions use a small set of persuasive scripts—“you’ve won,” “special drawing,” or “second chance”—that are designed to provoke excitement and immediate compliance, then pivot to extracting money or sensitive data through upfront fees, taxes, or unusual payment methods (gift cards, wires) [1] [2]. Lottery officials and consumer groups warn these schemes often borrow official logos and deadlines to create urgency and legitimacy, and victims have lost substantial sums when they follow the scripted instructions [3] [4].
1. How the con opens: unsolicited win notices that trigger hope
Most impostor scripts begin with an unsolicited communication—email, text, social message, phone call or direct mail—announcing a prize or “congratulations” and citing Mega Millions or similar brands, a classic lure that the FBI and consumer groups identify as the usual opening line for lottery frauds [5] [6].
2. The narrative variations scammers use to sound plausible
Three recurring storylines recur in reporting: a) you’ve won a large jackpot or a sizable cash prize you supposedly missed, b) you’ve been selected for a “special” or “international” drawing tied to Mega Millions, and c) you have a “second chance” or unclaimed prize tied to a past entry—each scripted to justify why the target was picked and to explain why the contact is unexpected or urgent [3] [7] [8].
3. The pivot: instructions that demand pre‑payments or paperwork
Once hope is established, the script shifts to a required action: pay taxes or “processing” fees, buy prepaid cards, send money orders, or transfer funds so the prize can be released—requests that legitimize themselves as routine administrative steps but are red flags because legitimate lotteries do not require advance payments to claim winnings [1] [2] [9].
4. Information extraction: how they get personal and financial data
Alternative script threads ask for banking details under the guise of “wiring” prize funds directly into an account or require copies of ID and Social Security numbers to “verify” identity; consumer protection agencies explicitly warn that scammers use these requests to steal money or commit identity theft [4] [6].
5. Dressing the lie: logos, doctored letters, call‑spoofing and urgency tactics
Scammers add layers of apparent legitimacy—using the Mega Millions logo in graphics, doctored videos or letters, posing as claims agents, and creating artificial deadlines—to rush victims into compliance; Mega Millions and local lottery officials note criminals “use a lot of tricks” to create the appearance of legitimacy [10] [3].
6. Payment channels and polarity of tactics: why gift cards, wires and crypto appear so often
Scripts frequently instruct victims to use hard‑to‑trace payment channels—wire transfers, prepaid or gift cards, money orders—or to send funds overseas, because those channels are irreversible and hard to recover; reporting documents multiple cases where victims were told to pay small “processing” or tax fees that ballooned into far larger losses [4] [7] [5].
7. Why the scripts work and who they target
Scammers exploit cognitive shortcuts—urgency, authority, and the emotional salience of a windfall—and sometimes target people who have previously entered sweepstakes, who may be primed to assume legitimacy; experts say that familiarity with legitimate prize programs makes some people more vulnerable [7] [5].
8. Verification and the practical counter‑script
Official guidance from Mega Millions and consumer agencies is the exact counter‑script: if no ticket was purchased, no prize can be won; legitimate lotteries never charge fees to claim winnings and will not ask for unusual payment methods—verify through official lottery websites or local lottery offices and refuse requests for upfront payments or gift cards [1] [6] [9].