Beware of scammers trying to cash in on Colorado Comeback Cash

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) - Five Coloradans have the chance to win $1 million, and 25 students could win a $50,000 scholarship, but local law enforcement officers and the Colorado Attorney General’s Office are warning of scammers who might take advantage of the state’s vaccine lottery.

“Your Colorado Springs Police Department and the Colorado State Attorney General want the public to be aware that criminals will likely use the lottery as a platform to scam unsuspecting victims,” said Officer Wesley Wilkerson on the neighborhood app Nextdoor.

Attorney General Phil Weiser said other states doing similar lottery programs have already seen this happen.

“The Colorado Comeback Cash program resembles one that’s already underway in Ohio, where there have been reports of just this sort of fraud,” he said. “We’ve now seen scammers again and again take advantage of people’s hopes, prey on people’s fears, and that’s why we want to educate people: what to look for, what are the signs of a scam, and how do you protect yourself?”

Weiser said scammers will likely look for any opportunity to capitalize on this promotion.

“Anytime people have their hopes up, like the Colorado Comeback Cash opportunity, scammers come out and prey on your hopes,” he said. “Maybe saying, ‘I can give you an inside track,’ or ‘Just give me this information, and we’ll make sure you win,’ or maybe they’ll even call up and say, ‘You’ve won. I just need your credit card or your bank account number to wire you the money.’”

The best way to avoid a scam is to know how the actual lottery works. According to the state, the only way to enter the sweepstakes is to get vaccinated. Do not give any personal information to someone claiming they’ll enter you into the drawing.

Once you get vaccinated, your information will be automatically uploaded into the state’s immunization database. You can check your immunization records here.

The first million-dollar winner was drawn on Wednesday and was expected to be announced Friday. The remaining four winners will be announced over the next four weeks.

There will be 25 student winners chosen at random for a $50,000 scholarship. Five winners will be picked every Monday, starting June 7, and announced every Friday until July 9.

The state health department said it will contact winners by phone or email.

“CDPHE will not request any personally identifiable information from the winner via phone, e-mail, or text. After the initial contact with the eligible winner, the winner will need to come in person to sign and submit all required documentation -- a photo ID and two pieces of mail addressed to the winner -- and releases as part of the claims process by the required deadline,” the state health department said in a news release.

If someone calls you and you think it’s a scam, report it to the Colorado Attorney General’s Office at 800-222-4444 or online here.

“Make sure you’re talking to someone who’s actually from the organization they’re calling from because it is a tried-and-true tactic to have someone from some official sounding group get you to give up valuable information,” Weiser said.

According to the state, all health care providers are required to enter administered COVID-19 doses into the state database, but the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Department of Defense (DoD) do not. KKTV’s 11 Call For Action Team asked the state about this. According to the state, Colorado worked with the VA to find a solution, so everyone vaccinated through the VA was entered into the drawing. The state says people who were vaccinated through the DoD were not entered into the first drawing but should be for the remaining four. People vaccinated through the VA or DoD will not show up in the state’s online immunization database.

If you’re having trouble finding your records in the database, the state recommends first contacting your vaccine provider. If you’re still having problems, call the CIIS Help Desk at 303-692-2437, and select option 2.

The state also said everyone’s personal information is safe. According to the promotion’s official rules, each vaccinated individual is anonymized by a number. The Colorado Lottery will conduct the drawings using a random number generator based on the total number of entries for that draw.

The drawings for both prizes will be held a few days before the winners are announced, so the state is encouraging everyone to get vaccinated as soon as possible. The last day to get vaccinated and qualify for the $1 million prize is June 30.

You can learn more about the vaccine incentive program here, including a list of frequently asked questions.

If you still need to get vaccinated, you can call the state’s 24/7 vaccine hotline at 1-877-268-2926. You can also call 211 or text “vaccine” to 667873 to get contact information for your preferred health care provider to sign up for a vaccine.

El Paso County Public Health also has an online list of upcoming vaccine clinics and a map showing all the different locations administering vaccines in the county.

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