(THAMES CENTRE, ON) – Middlesex County Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) wants to remind the public to be cautious when responding to any telemarketer or mail flyer that indicates that you have won the lottery.
In the past the OPP has received numerous reports of residents in their areas who have received similar mailings or phone calls. In some cases, interested persons are asked to send funds that will cover the taxes or handling fees for their winnings.
Interested persons have forwarded money only to receive a letter or phone call requiring more money in order to pay for additional taxes. In all instances the persons have not received anything in return. This was recently the case for one Thames Centre resident.
A female victim in her thirties fell victim to a similar scam, this time through a popular social media site. On July 7, 2014 Middlesex OPP responded to a report of a scam where a victim was promised a large portion of a lottery winning providing she send over $600 prior to receiving the winnings. She sent the money through a money wire transfer service as directed and soon discovered she was out of pocket, and there was no lottery.
Many victims of these types of frauds never contact their local police, the Anti-Fraud Centre, the Ontario Ministry of Consumers Services or the Better Business Bureau because of the amount of money they have lost.