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Awareness Bulletin: Pull-Tab Fraud |
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The Washington State Gambling Commission (WSGC) has noticed a recent trend in illegal, homemade fraudulent pull-tabs being utilized by individuals across King, Snohomish, and Pierce Counties. In some instances, the fraudulent winning tickets are glued on top of losing tabs. The winning prize amount and winning symbols match the flare, but the secondary win code does not match. Thus, the sides of some of the fraudulent tabs don’t look as crisp as a legitimate tab because they have been glued back together. The fraudsters likely bought the tabs on previous days before coming in and redeeming the winner. They may be photographing the flare on the previous visit, so they can recreate the winning symbols for the large prize. See the example below.
 Please make sure your staff always check that the numbers match the master sheet. They should do this for all winning tabs over $20. It is recommended to either highlight or circle matching numbers that have been redeemed to help keep track (similar to the example on the right). If the secondary win code does not match, we recommend the flowing actions:
- Before notifying the player that there might be an issue, ask to see their ID and either take a photo of it or write down the information (If your staff isn’t comfortable doing this, then don’t.)
- Tell the player the tab is not from your game, and you can’t pay the prize.
- Do not pay the prize.
- Keep the tab.
- Don’t chase after the people when they leave, but if you can get a license plate, please make note of it.
- Keep all surveillance videos of the suspect/s, associates, vehicles and any other pertinent video.
If you have questions or information, contact your assigned WSGC Special Agent or WSGC Headquarters at 1-800-345-2529
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