🚨 Virginia Lottery Impersonators Offer Cash for Driver’s License Photos and Personal Data

OFFICIAL GOVERNMENT WARNING — Report date: August 27, 2026

Scam type: Government-agency impersonation / identity theft

What’s happening

The Virginia Lottery says it has received reports of people claiming or implying that they are connected to the Lottery and offering Virginians money in exchange for personal information. The agency says this is not a Virginia Lottery program and that it does not pay people for personal data.

How the scam works

The impersonator offers cash or another payment if the target provides sensitive identifying information. Reported requests include photos, driver’s license images, other personally identifiable information, banking or payment details, and in some cases instructions to create an online Lottery account at someone else’s direction.

Who is being targeted

Virginia residents — including people who do not normally play the Lottery — who may be tempted by an unsolicited cash offer or believe the request is connected to an official state program.

Warning signs

• Someone claims a connection to the Virginia Lottery and offers money for your personal information. • A request for a photo of your driver’s license or other ID. • Instructions to create a Lottery account at another person’s direction. • Requests for banking or payment information in exchange for money. • Pressure to share or sell personally identifiable information.

What consumers should do

Do not provide personal information, send a photo of your ID, create an online Lottery account at someone else’s direction, or provide banking or payment information. If you believe you have been targeted, contact local law enforcement and the Virginia Lottery using independently verified contact information.

Source attribution

Primary agency statement: Virginia Lottery press release, August 27, 2026, republished verbatim by ARLnow https://www.arlnow.com/press-releases/officials-investigating-reports-of-people-claiming-to-be-from-the-lottery-and-offering-money-in-exchange-for-personal-information/ Official Virginia Lottery scam-prevention page: https://www.valottery.com/playingmatters/scams Independent corroboration: WTVR CBS 6 — August 27, 2026 https://www.wtvr.com/news/local-news/virginia-lottery-warns-of-scammers-offering-money-for-personal-information-august-27-26

AigiShield assessment

This qualifies as an Official Government Warning and a materially new impersonation variation because the reported scheme uses an unsolicited cash-for-data offer to obtain government ID images and other identity-theft material under the appearance of a state agency connection.

Think it might be a scam? Let AigiShield check it out for you.