CONSUMER ALERT

Watch Out for Prize Scams Targeting North Carolinians

Thursday, April 14, 2022

Our office has received a report of scammers claiming to be from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) contacting North Carolinians on Facebook to try to steal their money. The scammers claim to be DHHS employees and ask people to pay them up front to win money.

Fraudsters often use pay-to-win schemes to steal people’s money. They sometimes pretend to be government employees to make their ploy seem legitimate.

You never have to make an upfront payment to win a prize. If you're asked to, it's a scam. You can protect yourself from prize scams by following these tips:

• Know that government employees will never contact you through Facebook or any other social media.
• If a person you don’t know asks you to pay a deposit to earn a prize, it’s a scam.
• If you are contacted by a government employee, call their agency with a number listed on the agency’s website to see if it’s legitimate.
• Never send money online unless you’ve verified who the money is going to.

If you believe that you have been the victim of a scam, call our office at 877-5-NO-SCAM or file a complaint online at https://ncdoj.gov/file-a-complaint/.

This message was originally published by the NC DOJ. More information can be found at NCDOJ.gov