State officials: There is no 'pot of gold' when it comes to international lotteries

MADISON -- The mythical story of the "pot of gold" says to search for the treasure at the end of a rainbow, but scammers will have you believe that the pot of gold is coming directly to you. Among their favorite tricks are foreign lottery scams. The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) warns that foreign lottery promotions are phony - and illegal.

DATCP occasionally hears from consumers who are tied up in a cycle of payments to scammers after falling for a fake foreign lottery pitch. Once a victim makes an initial payment for a phony prize entry, the scammer will continue to come back to the victim to ask for more money for additional tickets or fees and taxes on the supposed prize. Victims continue to make these payments out of fear of losing out on the prize they are expecting and also out of fear of losing the money they have already invested.

DATCP offers the following tips to avoid these and other prize scams:

For additional information, visit the Bureau of Consumer Protection at http://datcp.wi.gov, send an e-mail to datcphotline@wisconsin.gov or call the Consumer Protection Hotline toll-free at 1-800-422-7128.