CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) — Ohioans have lost more than $34 million to lottery and sweepstakes scams over the last five years, ranking fourth highest in the country for such losses.

The losses come as scammers increasingly target lottery players, particularly when jackpots soar like the recent Mega Millions drawing.

These fraudulent contests are pressuring victims into paying fees to verify or collect winnings.

Dave Grendzynski with Vegas Insider, which released a report on lottery scam losses, said AI-generated phone calls from spoofed local numbers are taking scams to the next level.

“And it sounds like somebody who is a legitimate source from a lottery agency, but all it is is a scammer just trying to get your information or your money,” Grendzynski said.

Grendzynski said Ohioans are

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