In early April, a Laos-born immigrant named Cheng “Charlie” Saephan bought a winning Powerball ticket from a Plaid Pantry market in Portland. Saephan, who has been battling cancer for the past eight years, won $1.3 billion. He will share the prize with his wife, Duanpen Saephan, and their friend, Laiza Chao. The three winners opted for a lump sum payment (instead of an annuity). That brings them, collectively, over $422 million after taxes.
That’s great news for the lucky winners, but since then, scammers have been piggybacking on the feel-good story. In a recent press release, the Oregon Lottery warned about a wave of text-based phishing attempts promising a chance at some of that massive jackpot. The texts claim the Powerball winners will donate some of their prize money to 10 randomly chosen people. Recipients of the text message were asked to call a phone number to claim the prize money winnings. Sadly, according to Oregon Lottery officials, it’s a scam. Recipients should be wary of messages asking for personal information. Most importantly, they remind hopeful consumers, they will never ask a jackpot winner to pay a fee to access their winnings.
“Some common warning signs of phishing scams include receiving an unsolicited message with a sense of urgency or a request for personal information,” says Oregon Lottery Assistant Director of Security Justin Hedlund. “We expect there may be other scams out there trying to leverage the Powerball winner’s story, and it’s a red flag if something seems too good to be true.”
Saephan, for his part, did not disclose how he plans to spend his money. However, when claiming his hefty lump sum, he mused, “Now I can bless my family and hire a good doctor for myself.”
What to Do if You’ve Been Targeted by a Scam:
- Report the suspected scam to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center.
- Forward suspicious text messages to SPAM (7226).
- Report phishing attempts to the Federal Trade Commission.
- Notify Maps and your other financial institutions.
- Consider freezing or canceling all credit, debit, and ATM cards.
- Change your passwords, monitor your accounts, and check your credit reports.
- If you suffer a loss, file a police report in the jurisdiction where the theft occurred.