State police crackdown on lottery scams

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) - Eyewitness News has uncovered some common scams that are costing Rhode Islanders their lottery winnings.

The stakes are high. Every year, about $82 million is spent on scratch tickets.

That's why the Rhode Island Lottery and State Police are cracking down on clerks who'd potentially lie and cheat you out of your cash.

To alert you, we've discovered how the potential scammer steals your cash.

Scam #1:

It starts with customers who are not paying attention.

If your ticket's a winner, a song plays when the clerk scans it.

But in some cases, the clerk re-scans a 'losing ticket.' He tells the customer they lost and he keeps the winner.

Scam #2

Some clerks tell the unknowing customer they won but then pay them less than the full amount.

So far, State Police and The Lottery have sent an undercover officer to about 150 of the state's 1200 stores.

"By far they're very honest and very informative to our patrons," said Lottery Director Gerald Aubin.

But a clerk at Newport Express in Pawtucket and another at Diamond Fuel Gas in Cranston are accused of taking an undercover officer's $1,000 winning tickets and lying.

"The clerk opened the cash register and paid our undercover officer $100 dollars," said Capt. David Neill of the Rhode Island State Police. "On another occasion, our undercover officer presented the $1,000 winning scratch ticket and was told that in fact it was not a winning ticket."

Sarwar Ansari, 55, and John Barry, 63, both face obtaining money under false pretenses charges. However, there is no way to know if any other clerks in the area turned winners into losers.

"I think one could assume that this has happened in the past and maybe individuals with the winning tickets don't have knowledge that they had a winning ticket," Neill said.

"Somebody out there might've been a winner and they have no idea and somebody walked with their money. It's extremely frustrating and we want to see our patrons being treated properly by the retailer base," Aubin said.

Protect Your Winnings

Here's what you can do to scratch the scam.

• Pay attention to what the clerk is doing.
• Play the games you know.
• If you hear the winning song, check the monitor that shows you how much you won.

"Signing of the ticket is so important. The listening for the tone of the terminal if it's a winner and recognizing that it is a winner. And ask the clerk questions if there's any doubt in your mind," Aubin said.

We've also learned the undercover stings will continue.