AARP Membership: Just $16 a Year

Highlights

Open

AARP® Prescription Discounts provided by Catamaran

Members can print a free Rx discount card

AARP Salutes Our Heroes

Thanks to the veterans who served our country

Savings Icon

Tanger Outlets

Access to a free coupon book

Technical Icon

Black Community

How to live your best life

Tell Us Your Story

Ever had trouble paying for
health care?

Contests and
Sweeps

You Could Win $50,000!

Plus you’ll get free tips and tools to help you find your perfect path to retirement
See official rules.

PROGRAMS

AARP Foundation Tax-Aide

You can get free, face-to-face tax assistance nationwide.

Free Lunch Seminar Monitor Program

Attend investment seminars and tell us what you find.

Money Matters Tip Sheets

Download and print out these PDFs to help with your financial matters.

AARP
Bookstore

Visit the Money Section

Enjoy titles on retirement, Social Security, and becoming debt-free.

webinars

Learn From the Experts

Sign up now for an upcoming Money webinar or find materials from a past session. 

Jobs You Might Like

most popular
articles

Viewed

Recommended

Commented

Scam Alert

A 'Lotto' Concerns

You didn't really win that state lottery you never entered

  • Text
  • Print
  • Comments
  • Recommend

Here's what you need to know about state lottery scams:

  • If you didn't buy a lottery ticket from an authorized vendor, you didn't win, plain and simple.
  • No legitimate lottery will ever contact you with news of a win; it's your responsibility to step forward with the winning ticket in hand.
  • You never have to pay upfront fees of any kind to claim a legitimate state lottery payout.
  • Never believe claims of a guaranteed prize. Legitimate lotteries make no guarantees of winning.
  • Be suspicious of anyone who approaches you offering to sell what's described as a winning lottery ticket. Often the excuse is that the person is in this country illegally and doesn't dare redeem it personally. It's all a lie, of course. This ruse is especially common in Florida and has claimed many older victims.
  • Check winning numbers with your state lottery website or through media reports.
  • Be alert to shady retailers who pilfer winning tickets brought in for redemption. They scan the ticket, claim you didn't win (or got just a small amount) and then pocket the ticket. You can protect against this by immediately signing your name to the ticket when you buy it, meaning the retailer can't sign it.
  • If you wonder about a lottery notification, go to the website of the nonprofit group Fraud Aid to check its list of known phony lottery games. New ones are always emerging, but if your alleged jackpot is from one on the list, you can be sure it's a scam. Report suspicious winning notifications to your state lottery office and attorney general.

Also of interest: Sweepstakes "winners" become big losers. >>

Sid Kirchheimer is the author of Scam Proof Your Life, published by AARP Books/Sterling.

Topic Alerts

You can get weekly email alerts on the topics below. Just click “Follow.”

Manage Alerts

Processing

Please wait...

progress bar, please wait

Tell Us WhatYou Think

Please leave your comment below.

You must be signed in to comment.

Sign In | Register

More comments »

your money

Discounts & Benefits

From companies that meet the high standards of service and quality set by AARP.

AARP Credit card from Chase

AARP® Visa Signature® Card from Chase - Cash back on every purchase.

financial products

Member access to financial and insurance products and services at AARPfinancial.com.

Member Benefits

Members receive exclusive member benefits & affect social change. Renew Today

Being Social

Featured
Groups

Hand holding credit cards

Pay Down Your Debt Challenge

Join others who are starting their debt-free journey. Discuss

 

savingchalleng

Savings Challenge

Have the gift of thrift? Share your tips.

Discuss