MARQUETTE, MI— Michigan State Police are asking Upper Peninsula businesses to be on the lookout for people buying scratch-off lottery tickets with stolen credit cards.
A suspect—who may be wearing a mask to conceal their identity—will try to purchase a large number of scratch-off tickets using a credit card. They’ll tell the cashier the chip or swipe isn’t working and the numbers need to be entered manually.
Once the sale is processed, the suspect cashes in any winning tickets. The store may not realize the card is stolen until it’s too late and the charges go unnoticed.
State Police says to protect themselves, businesses should limit the number of lottery tickets that may be purchased, never enter credit card numbers manually, double-check the card’s legitimacy if anything seems off during the transaction, and report suspicious activity immediately to law enforcement.
