Police: Lottery scam is circulating
Tuesday, March 13, 2007 posted 01:30 AM EDT
Police are warning residents to be on the lookout for a lottery scam that is being reported.
It’s known as the Canadian Lottery scam, said Jamie Smith, Fayetteville police spokeswoman.
There are two versions of the scam, Smith said.
In one, victims are notified by letter that they have won the Canadian Lottery but must wire part of the winnings to cover taxes, Smith said, in order to collect the prize.
“This amount is normally in the thousands of dollars,” Smith said.
Once victims have sent the money through Western Union or Message Gram, they never receive a check for the lottery jackpot, Smith said.
In the second version, victims receive a check for their winnings but are told that once the check is cashed, a certain amount of money must be sent to cover taxes, Smith said.
The winner cashes the check and wires the money, only to learn later that the check is phony, Smith said.
The victim must then repay the bank, she said.
People should never mail or wire money to someone they don’t know or can’t identify, Smith said, nor should they send money to pay for any kind of lottery tax or fee.
“A legitimate lottery or sweepstakes will never ask for money up front before sending your prize,” Smith said. “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”
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