Lotteries

 

An Elderly woman sent £60,000 of her savings to cruel con artists who convinced her she had hit the jackpot in a foreign lottery. The 87-year-old, who lives alone in Saltford, was told she had won hundreds of thousands of pounds on the Canadian National Lottery.

The woman, who has no relatives, was told a ticket in her name had scooped a jackpot worth £730,000 - but that she would have to pay a fee for the money to be sent from Canada.

On three separate occasions over the past two months, she was asked for money to make sure she got her winnings. In total she sent £60,000 to addresses in Canada and Amsterdam, including a £33,000 cheque last month.

She was told her winnings would be with her by Sunday, August 1. But the day came and went without any sign of the money. She became increasingly suspicious and contacted police, who broke the news that the whole thing had been a scam.

Outraged officers have been liaising with their overseas counterparts to try to trace the perpetrators of the con. But Det Insp Guy Turner, of Bath CID, said because the money had been sent overseas, the hopes of ever seeing it again were slim. "Because the money has gone out of the country it makes it incredibly difficult for us," he said.

He warned: "If something is too good to be true, then it probably is. "If anyone is asked to do something like this, then they should get in touch with us at the police station or with trading standards officers."

 "This is a particularly callous and cold-hearted act against a frail and vulnerable 87-year-old woman who lives alone and has no relatives. "
"Similar scams are also being operated via the internet, when people are asked to part with significant sums of money to free up a larger sum. "We would urge people to be vigilant, especially the elderly who are specific targets for these ruthless and uncaring con merchants."

Victims are told that such lotteries work by picking people across the world at random, with the smooth-talking con artists keen to explain away why no ticket has ever been bought.

The majority of respondents tend to be elderly. The advice from the OFT is never give out private details and, if in doubt, hang up. Fraudsters also use mail by sending out a 'cheque' promising a £10,000 win for just a £20 or £30 entry fee, but the small print reveals it is little more than a glorified raffle with a slim chance of winning.