FBI Issues New Warning on Lottery and Sweepstakes Scams

Consumers need to be wary of bogus letters and emails claiming they've won a sweepstakes or lottery, since they have nothing to win and much to lose, the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) warns.

The IC3, a partnership between the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the National White Collar Crime Center says it continues to receive reports of phony prize-winning notifications containing counterfeit checks bearing legitimate-looking logos of various financial institutions to fool victims into sending money to scammers.