Feds Say "Jamaican Lotto Scams" Increasingly Targeting Senior Citizens

29,220 complaints last year

It's one of the biggest scams targeting seniors in the U.S. right now. Federal officials say "Jamaican lottery scams" are growing at an alarming rate, bilking the most vulnerable members of our population out of hundreds of millions of dollars a year.

It works when scammers in Jamaica obtain lists of older Americans' names and numbers. They then call the seniors, usually pretending to be with an American sweepstakes company, telling them they've won money. To get the prize, the person just has to pay a fee, which they are told is for processing, or taxes.