RAINIER, Wash. — A South Sound couple is warning other potential victims after being targeted by what they believe are lottery scammers.
Merri and Russell Wilson, who recently moved from DuPont to Rainier, received a text message from someone claiming to be Cheng Saephan, a recent Oregon lottery winner with plans to share $275,000 with others.
The message came with an instruction to call a phone number to arrange the payment.
"I immediately knew it was a scam," said Merri Wilson. "It's mean, it's sad. Bad people."
While the Wilsons were suspicious from the beginning, they fear others won't be.
"I do worry about people that I know. I'm the demographic, I'm 70 years old, a lot of people that are older get scammed more easily by these things," Merri said.
In May, the Federal Trade Commission issued a consumer alert.
"Scammers are impersonating lottery winners on social media, often using the names of real winners to make their posts sound legit," the agency wrote.
The FTC offered the following tips to help people from victim to scammers:
- Don't pay to get a prize.
- Ignore "free money" posts.
- Never send money to someone you met online.
The FTC reminded consumers to stay vigilant and report scams at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.