An Effingham County, Georgia, man lost $30,000 after scammers told him he had won $2 million.
A spokesperson for the Effingham County Sheriff’s Office said the man was contacted by scammers who claimed he had won the large prize, according to WSAV.
The man sent money connected to the supposed winnings. He never received any of the $2 million he had been promised.
The Scam Used a Fake Prize to Pull Money From the Victim
Officials said the man sent money after being told about the winnings.
The public report did not list the payment method, the number of payments, or whether the scammers claimed the money was needed for taxes, fees, processing, delivery, or another reason.
The victim lost $30,000 and received none of the prize money he had been promised.
Real Prizes Do Not Require Upfront Payments
The Federal Trade Commission says real prizes are free. If someone says a person has to pay first to receive winnings, whether for taxes, shipping, handling, processing, or customs fees, the agency says it is a scam.
Anyone who receives a prize claim can check whether they entered the contest, search the company or organization name independently, and avoid using the phone number, email address, link, or payment instructions sent by the person making the prize promise.
Report the Payment Before the Trail Gets Colder
Someone who already paid a supposed prize fee should contact the bank, card issuer, wire service, payment app, gift card company, or cryptocurrency platform used for the payment and ask whether the transaction can be stopped, reversed, or traced.
The messages, caller information, payment receipts, account names, phone numbers, email addresses, tracking numbers, and screenshots should be saved before deleting anything.
Prize scams can be reported to local law enforcement and to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Online or cyber-enabled fraud can also be reported to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at IC3.gov.