Most of us are familiar with the old Nigerian lottery scam. Lottery scams originate in many countries, the Netherlands, Russia, Nigeria, and now Jamaica can be added to the list. Last year Americans sent more than $30 million to Jamaica in hopes of winning a nonexistent lottery. Many in law enforcement believe that these lottery scammers aid a network of violent gangs engaged in arms and drug trafficking. US and Jamaican law enforcement agencies are working together to shut down the lottery scammers.

It has been reported that over 60,000 people in Minnesota have been targeted by the Jamaican lottery scammers. According to police the scammers target the elderly and Jamaican officials say the scammers are hurting Jamaica's reputation in the international community. Currently 10 Jamaican law enforcement officers are facing criminal charges for their links to the lottery scammers.

Jamaican police have linked 400 murders to the lottery scammers. A New Jersey victim committed suicide after losing her life savings of $248,000 which she sent to scammers in hopes of a $2.5 million dollar payout. Another victim in Texas lost $121,000 to the scammers. Leslie Green, an assistant police commissioner in Jamaica said some gangs are turning to lottery scams for revenues after a recent crackdown on drug trafficking on the island nation. Green also said the lottery scammers are responsible for a recent increase in violence in Montego Bay where many of the scammers are located.

Lottery players can defend themselves against these kinds of scams by using a little logic and common sense. First, no legitimate lottery requires any kind of payment before a payout is given. Second, It is impossible for a player to win a legitimate lottery they did not enter or purchase a ticket for. Lottery scams are usually pretty transparent. In the past lottery scammers have set up fake lotteries using the names of major corporations such as Coca Cola, Microsoft and others. Legitimate lotteries do not notify winners via. Email. Should a lottery player receive an email claiming they have won a foreign lottery they never entered simply delete the email notify law enforcement.

To counter such scams many states are thinking about allowing the sale of online lottery tickets. The legal sale of online lottery tickets could eliminate many of the current scams and save citizens from being the target of Jamaican scammers. Lottery players could purchase online lottery tickets in a safe and secure environment and could check for winning numbers from the privacy of home. Most lottery experts agree that the future of lotteries is online.