That winning email you got from the Florida Lottery is probably fake

Officials say scam lottery email asked recipients for personal information

A scam circulating through email is asking recipients to reveal personal information in exchange for a possible $1 million, officials from the Florida Lottery said.

Officials said the email, which features an official logo in its letterhead, claims the recipient may have won a "Mega Millions" prize and must send personal and financial information in order to claim it. The sender then asks recipients to not share the content of the email with others. 

Lottery officials distributed a news release addressing the situation. In the release, spokesperson Taylor Nash urges anyone who has received the email to not respond. 

"If you have not purchased a MEGA MILLIONS ticket, you cannot win a prize," Nash said.

News 6 spoke to several lotto players who were purchasing Mega Millions tickets Thursday. Many said they would not trust an email like that if it appeared in their inbox.

"If you fall for that you need to be robbed," lotto player Clarkson Maduro said.

Lotto player Tina Jackson said she hadn't received the email, but adds if she did it would raise a red flag.

"I don't think the Florida Lottery is going to email every single person to contact them about anything," Jackson said.

Lottery players will never be asked to pay in order to distribute their winnings, according to the release. 

Officials asked anyone who has information on a lottery scam to call the organization's security division at 850-487-7730.

The Mega Millions jackpot is up to $970 million as of Thursday. Watch the drawing live on News 6 Friday during News 6 at 11 p.m.

Full copy of the email:

The email Florida Lottery officials say is attempting to trick recipients.