NEGAUNEE ­­– Michigan State police are warning businesses and the general public of a new scam popping up in the Upper Peninsula.

According to an MSP press release, there has been an increase in fraudulent activity involving stolen credit cards and lottery scratch-off tickets throughout the Upper Peninsula and the Northern Lower Peninsula.

The MSP is investigating some of the complaints, including several in the Escanaba area.

Police are aware of related cases also being investigated in Wisconsin and Nebraska.

State police say the following guidelines are provided to alert local businesses of the scam.

The information is also aimed to help businesses and the public to take steps to protect themselves.

How the scam typically unfolds:

• A subject or subjects posing as a customer(s) will attempt to purchase a large quantity of lottery scratch-off tickets using a credit card.

• The subject(s) may attempt to conceal their identity by wearing face masks.

• They tell the cashier that the card swipe or chip isn’t working and ask if they can manually enter the credit card information to complete the transaction.

• Once the cashier manually enters the card numbers and processes the sale, the subject takes the scratch-offs and then quickly cashes in any winning tickets.

• Unfortunately, the store may not realize the credit card was stolen until it’s too late, and the fraudulent charges go unnoticed.

How to protect your business:

• Be cautious if a customer requests to purchase large quantities of scratch-off lottery tickets.

• Do not process card information manually.

• Limit the amount of lottery tickets that can be purchased.

• If they are paying with a card, ensure the transaction is completed in the usual way and that the card is properly swiped.

• Double-check the card’s legitimacy if anything seems off during the transaction.

• Report any suspicious activity immediately to law enforcement.