On April 19, 2015 a 63 year old male from St. Clair Township fell victim to a lottery scam possibly costing him $15,000.
To date, police and the victim’s financial institution are trying their best to retrieve his money.
The Lambton Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is warning area residents that they need to be aware of this scam.
Typically, the scammer will contact a potential victim through an e-mail message or telephone call.
The scammer will then advise the victim that he/she has won a large amount of money and that in order to collect their winnings they must send a money order in order to cover taxes or some type of administrative fee.
“This is a scam. This is fraudulent. Do not respond or participate in this transaction,” OPP officials said.
“Legitimate lotteries do not require you to pay a fee or tax to collect winnings,” said Detective Inspector Mike Bickerton, of the OPP Anti-Rackets Branch. “You cannot win money or a prize in a lottery unless you have entered it yourself, or someone else has entered it on your behalf.”
Tips to help you recognize a lottery or prize scam:
– Never send money to anybody you don’t know and trust.
– Don’t provide personal banking details to anyone that you do not know and trust.
– Examine all of the terms and conditions of any offer very carefully.
– Claims of free or very cheap offers often have hidden costs.
– Calls to premium rate phone numbers or premium text messages can be very expensive.
– Ask yourself, “Did I willingly enter this contest?”
