ID Theft Scam

Multi-State Lottery Winner, Scam

Mesa County, Colo. -- A local resident sent the Sheriff's Office the following images related to a mailer they recently received advising they had won a multi-state lottery. The hook to this scam is having the victim call and provide personal information that then is used to defraud the victim of their identity, their credit score, drain their bank account or a variety of other negative impacts to a person.

Winning a prize or lottery that a person hasn't played, is an immediate red flag that the event is a scam. Also, if the situation or prize seems to good to be true, if you need to provide a payment for taxes or fees before receiving the "free" gift, and/or if you are requested to cash a large check in advance of receiving the prize and forwarding on a portion of that check to another location, those are all classic clues the event is a scam.

If you have been a victim of a fraud or scam, you should call non-emergency dispatch at (970) 242-6707, to report it. If you are cold contacted for a potential scam, we recommend you ignore it, delete it or throw it away.