Senior Citizen Scammed Out Of $19,000

(THAMES CENTRE, ON) – Members of the Middlesex Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) responded to a reported “Lottery Scam” in which an elderly male was bilked of over $19.000 by scam artists.

Investigators learned that the victim was contacted by a male suspect advising the victim that he had won a sizeable lottery. In order to collect his windfall he would have to send a significant amount of money to the scammer first.

Initially the male didn’t send any money however the suspect(s) called back repeatedly ramping up the pressure to send money. Once the victim sent money, the suspects called back numerous times building a relationship with the suspect and encouraging him to send more money.

By the time OPP were contacted, the thieves had contacted the victim more than 9 separate times encouraging him to wire transfer $19,549 of his savings.

Though police continue to investigate and are working with other policing agencies to locate the suspects, often times these cases prove very difficult to resolve.

The bottom line is that if something sounds too good to be true it is. The best thing to do with anyone who asks you to send money over the phone is to hang up on them and never give money to anyone you are not familiar with. Always check with a trusted family member or friend before you ever send money to an unknown source.

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