A Rossland senior is out $40,000 after being told she’d won a sweepstakes contest.
RCMP say they received a report Friday morning that the 90-year-old woman had received a letter claiming she’d won $2.8 million. She was told to send $40,000 by electronic bank transfers and electronic gift card codes to claim her prize.
When no prize was forthcoming, she realized it was a scam. Police say she can’t the money back.
“Everyday people fall victim to this kind of prize scams,” Sgt. Mike Wicentowich said in a news release.
“Anyone requesting you send him/her money to claim a prize is trying to scam you out of your money. Do not send anyone an electronic fund transfer or electronic gift card codes. It cannot be recovered and is gone forever.”
Trail woman avoids cheque scam
Police say a Trail woman received a $16,000 cheque from a company by email. The company said it was trying to buy something from another Canadian company.
The 61-year-old woman tried to cash the cheque, but her bank determined it was bogus. The woman reported the incident to police.
Wicentowich said frauds like this one usually have someone deposit a cheque into their own account and immediately send a portion to the so-called company electronically. The victim expects to keep the rest, but later learns the cheque is fake. The victim is still on the hook for the amount sent electronically.
