News writer
Winning the lottery is all about luck — but for three Michigan suspects, their so-called "winning strategy" landed them in handcuffs instead of a jackpot. Authorities say the trio attempted a scam at multiple gas stations, using a sneaky payment trick to score hundreds of dollars in lottery tickets.
Their first attempt failed, but just minutes later, they struck gold — at least until police showed up. Now, with arrests made and cash seized, investigators are warning businesses to stay alert for similar fraud.
Two attempts — one success
The suspects reportedly tried two times in their lottery scam, with employees stopping them on their first attempt. However, they were successful in their second attempt just minutes later.
On February 10, 2025, a store manager in Watertown, South Dakota, was notified by the store's corporate office that a scam took place in Fargo, North Dakota. For that alert, images of the suspects and their vehicle were released.
That same day, a person at a Watertown gas station called the Watertown Police Department regarding a fraud case.
According to authorities, the suspects tried to make a fraudulent transaction in Watertown, but the store employees denied them. Just minutes later, another report came in from another gas station in Watertown. However, this time, those same individuals were successful in using fraudulent credit card information to buy $700 worth of lottery tickets.
How did the lottery scam work?
So, how were these suspects able to purchase the South Dakota Lottery tickets using fraudulent credit card information? The suspects allegedly presented a card that appears to be legitimate. However, it required special instructions on the back of the card, which told cashiers to process the transaction as a cash sale — this would falsely show a completed payment.
Suspects arrested
Police officers in Watertown were able to quickly respond to the location and found the three suspects near the gas station. A search of the suspects and police said they found about $2,000 in cash and multiple prepaid debit cards.
While the fraudulent transactions took place in Watertown, the trio of suspects were from Michigan. One of the suspects, a 19-year-old from Flint, Michigan, was arrested and charged with identity theft, conspiracy to commit a felony, fraudulent use of a credit card, organized retail crime, and possession of a controlled substance.
The two other suspects were also from Flint and were arrested on similar charges. The police said the other two suspects were 18 years old and 20 years old.
All three of the suspects were booked into the Codington County Detention Center pending further proceedings.
Police are warning other businesses in the area to be on the lookout for these fraudulent-type transactions and to report any suspicious activity to police.
Lottery theft in Georgia
Cops in Georgia were also busy arresting a suspect accused of stealing Georgia Lottery tickets from a convenience store in Senoia. Authorities started investigating the robberies when a store manager reported shortages in their lottery funds.
The shortages took place on January 26 — $120 short — and January 28 — $75 short. Officials obtained security footage from those days and observed two individuals enter the store on both dates, with one of the suspects reaching behind the counter and grabbing some high-value lottery tickets before leaving the store.
Police said the suspect, who was recognized on security footage by the store manager, took four $30 tickets on January 26 and three $25 tickets on January 28.
On February 11, Kentaevius Render, 26, turned himself into the police and was charged with two counts of theft by shoplifting.
Enjoy playing the South Dakota Lottery, and please remember to play responsibly.
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