Lottery Winners Used Dead People's Social Security Numbers, Audit Says

TRENTON — Nearly four dozen New Jersey lottery winners collected their prizes with false Social Security numbers belonging to dead people, according to an audit of the state lottery system.
The audit also found that the lottery missed out on recovering $890,000 that winners owed in taxes and other obligations for the fiscal year that ended last June.

The report, released Wednesday said 680 people who won at least $600 presented potentially invalid IDs from July 2013 to July 2014.

People are required to list a Social Security or tax identification number and show ID to claim their winnings so the state can withhold state and federal taxes.

"Prize winners of $600 or more who provide invalid identification numbers create a risk of reduced tax withholdings, overpayment of public assistance, and lost collections on child support, defaulted student loans, and other debt owed to the state," the state auditor said. READ MORE