Get All Access for $5/mo

A Florida Woman Was Scammed Out $11,000 By People Claiming to be Arizona Lottery Winners. Now She Wants Justice. Diana Izurieta lost big after receiving a text she was randomly selected to earn $90,000.

By Sam Silverman

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Getty/ isayildiz

What appeared to be a random act of kindness ended up costing a Florida woman thousands.

Diana Izurieta claims she was scammed out of $11,000 after receiving a text message stating she was one of 50 people chosen at random to receive $90,000 from the Gilbert, Arizona, couple who won the $474 million Powerball jackpot in May.

The messages instructed her to contact a "Mr. Woodman," to receive the payment, and after doing so, she was instructed to pay various fake transfers and tax fees that she was told she would be reimbursed for once the lottery winnings arrived.

After sending the first $1,000, "then they started asking for credit card numbers and everything," Izurieta told 12 News Phoenix.

Over the course of five months, "Mr. Woodman" squeezed nearly $10,000 more from Izurieta with pressure and false promises.

Once she realized she had been bamboozled, there was nothing she could do to recover her funds, but she still wants whoever scammed her to be brought to justice.

"I just want to put his ass in jail," she told the outlet."I want to put him in jail...somehow."

This isn't the first time someone promised to donate faulty lottery winnings in Arizona.

A similar scam occurred in 2020 when a Glendale, Arizona, couple won $400 million, in which people received fake emails promising people $2 million from the haul, prompting the Arizona Lottery to issue a nationwide warning at the time.

Gregg Edgar, the executive director of the Arizona Lottery told 12 News people should "be leery," of anything that "sounds too good to be true," and said to forward any potential lottery scam to the Arizona Attorney General's office.

Sam Silverman

Content Strategy Editor

Sam Silverman is a content strategy editor at Entrepreneur Media. She specializes in search engine optimization (SEO), and her work can be found in The US Sun, Nicki Swift, In Touch Weekly, Life & Style and Health. She writes for our news team with a focus on investigating scandals. Her coverage and expertise span from business news, entrepreneurship, technology, and true crime, to the latest in entertainment and TV news. Sam is a graduate of Lehigh University and currently resides in NYC. 

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Business News

These Companies Offer the Best Work-Life Balance, According to Employees

The ranking is based on Glassdoor ratings and reviews.

Productivity

6 Habits That Help Successful People Maximize Their Time

There aren't enough hours in the day, but these tips will make them feel slightly more productive.

Business News

Apple Is Adding ChatGPT to iPhones This Week. Here's How It Works.

ChatGPT will take over questions that Siri can't answer.

Leadership

Why Your AI Strategy Will Fail Without the Right Talent in Place

Using fractional AI experts through specialized platforms allows companies to access top talent cost-effectively, drive innovation and scale agile strategies for growth.

Science & Technology

Use This Framework to Successfully Integrate AI Into Your Business Operations

Here's how to ensure both innovation and compliance when using AI in your organization.