Attorney General Salazar and AARP Elderwatch Issue Alert on "El Gordo" Sweepstakes Fraud

Denver—Colorado Attorney General Ken Salazar and AARP ElderWatch today reissued a consumer alert warning about an international sweepstakes fraud that is once again targeting Colorado consumers. The offices issued the first alert last July.

The scam involves direct mail or telephone solicitations claiming that the consumer has won a share in the Spanish national lottery known as “El Gordo.” Consumers are then given a variety of reasons why they must send in thousands of dollars in order to claim their “winnings.”

“My office has seen an increase once again in citizen inquiries on El Gordo, which tells us the scam has resurfaced in Colorado,” Attorney General Ken Salazar said. “It is important to remember that these solicitations are always a scam. You cannot win a foreign lottery and any claim to the contrary is a lie.” It is illegal to sell any foreign lottery in the United States.

Contact with the consumer usually begins with an official-looking letter from people claiming to be lottery managers. Winners are asked to keep quiet because of some “mix-up of some of the numbers” or other excuse and are urged to contact a claims agent at an overseas telephone number. When they do so they are asked to send money to cover administrative costs or taxes and to provide some personal financial information. There is even a deadline that threatens, “after the selected date, if the funds aren’t claimed, they will be returned to the lottery.”

Consumers should remember:

• Foreign lotteries cannot be legally sold in the United States.
• If someone writes or calls you claiming that you have won a foreign lottery, THEY ARE LYING.
• Colorado law prohibits sweepstakes offers from requiring that you pay any money as a condition of collecting your prize.
• NEVER provide any personal or financial information to a company or any individual whom you do not know.

AARP ElderWatch encourages older Coloradans to call anytime they have questions about a lottery sweepstakes or other prize offering. In the Denver metro area, call 303-222-4444, or 800-222-4444.