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Bait and Switch Scam of Folded Tickets – OLG

OLG ticket scam on scratch tickets

Description of Scam

• A customer asks to purchase a folded ticket such as CROSSWORD DELUXE.
• What you can’t see is they already have a scratched, non-winning ticket with them, hidden under something like a newspaper.
• The customer knows it is non-winning because they have scratched off the YOUR LETTERS area of the ticket and visually played the ticket or they have revealed the Scratch & Scan barcode and checked the ticket.
• The retailer hands the customer the new ticket, and through some creative and swift sleight of hand, the customer switches the tickets, now hiding the new ticket you gave them. Claiming they forgot their money, they return the previously played NON- WINNING ticket to you.

• The retailer returns the played NON-WINNING ticket to their Silent Seller to be sold later to an unsuspecting customer.

Mitigate Risk

• Number one way to mitigate the risk: Do not allow customers to pick their own tickets from trays.
Have your customers point to the tickets they want, and ask for payment before handing ticket(s) to the customer.
• Be aware of customers creating a distraction which draws your attention away from the transaction.
• If a customer cannot pay for a folded INSTANT ticket and returns it back to you, open it up to ensure nothing has been scratched off such as the YOUR LETTERS area or the Scratch & Scan barcode.

BEST PRACTICE TIP!

• When a customer buys a folded ticket, ask your customer to open it up before leaving to ensure it has not been tampered with.

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