The New York Lottery is alerting citizens about a phone scam where fraudsters are impersonating lottery officials and targeting individuals in various states.
A consumer alert issued by the New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC), which supervises the state lottery, reveals that the scam involves calls from individuals posing as high-ranking officials from Mega Millions. The callers attempt to deceive victims by claiming they have won an $18.6 million Mega Millions prize, along with two luxury Mercedes-Benz vehicles, but they must first remit taxes and processing fees before the prizes can be claimed.
Many victims have reported that the scammers threaten to cancel the $18.6 million prize and luxury cars unless they pay the purported taxes and fees immediately.
“The New York State Gaming Commission advises players: Authentic lotteries never contact winners directly.”
New York State Gaming Commission
Genuine lotteries do not demand winners to pay taxes or fees before collecting their winnings. The NYSGC emphasizes that individuals cannot win a legitimate lottery prize without first purchasing a ticket.
“The New York Lottery cannot identify a prize winner until the winning ticket is presented for payment,” the advisory further mentioned.
Excitement Over Jackpots
This warning from the New York Lottery arises as the jackpots for Mega Millions and Powerball soar, driving increased ticket sales. As these jackpots reach staggering amounts, and the possibility of life-altering prizes is highlighted in mainstream media, participation rates rise dramatically.
The Powerball drawing tonight is set to feature an estimated annuitized jackpot of $567 million, while the cash option is pegged at $251.8 million. The Mega Millions drawing is slated for Friday night, currently boasting a projected jackpot of $743 million, with the cash option at $323.4 million. Note that these estimated jackpot amounts are before any applicable federal and possibly state taxes.
Players have experienced a jackpot drought, with a staggering 34 Powerball drawings and 36 Mega Millions drawings—totaling 70 drawings across both games—passing without any ticket hitting the jackpot.
“Jackpot excitement is back, and New Yorkers have two outstanding opportunities to envision their dreams this week,” remarked Brian O’Dwyer, Chairman of the New York State Gaming Commission.
Rising Jackpot Records
The ongoing Mega Millions and Powerball runs are getting closer to securing a spot on the list of the top ten largest jackpots in U.S. history.
Top Ten Jackpots (Game, Annuitized Amount, Date, Location)
Powerball (PB) – $2.04 billion – Nov. 7, 2022 – CA
PB – $1.81 billion – Dec. 24, 2025 – AR
PB – $1.78 billion – Sept. 6, 2025 – MO, TX
PB – $1.76 billion – Oct. 11, 2023 – CA
Mega Millions (MM) – $1.6 billion – FL
PB – $1.58 billion – Jan. 13, 2016 – CA, FL, TN
MM – $1.53 billion – Oct. 23, 2018 – SC
MM – $1.35 billion – Jan. 13, 2023 — ME
MM – $1.33 billion – July 29, 2022 – IL
PB – $1.32 billion – April 6, 2024 – OR