Connecticut’s consumer watchdog is alerting lottery players and others to a “winning-ticket’’ scam that has conned victims out of thousands of dollars.
The Gaming Division of the state Department of Consumer Protection said Friday one or more persons in the Bridgeport and Norwalk areas are selling instant lottery tickets that have been altered to appear to be winning tickets, when in fact they are losing tickets and have no value.
“We have already received several complaints from victims who bought these tickets for between $500 and $2,000, believing that they could cash them in for the winning prize of $20,000,” Consumer Protection Commissioner William M. Rubenstein said.
Providing a variety of reasons why they cannot cash the ticket themselves, the scammers seek to prey on the public’s good will, and defraud unsuspecting consumers.
