The Wellington County OPP are once again reminding the public to be vigilant following a recent lotto scam.
On September 8, an elderly victim in Wellington County was contacted by an unknown number, with the callers posing as a lotto service.
The scammers told the victim they were able to purchase tickets for the lottery via gift cards and promised prizes from the lottery in return.
While remaining on the line, the victim was told to go to a local business and purchase $500 worth of gift cards and then read the numbers of the cards to the scammers.
The next day, the victim was contacted again by the scammers, this time requesting $2,000 in gift cards. At that point, the victim suspected they were being defrauded, and contacted the police.
Police are warning that unsolicited emails, phone calls, and texts should always be scrutinized, and you should never give out personal or financial information over the phone or the internet to someone unknown to you.
Warning signs to look out for when receiving unsolicited messages include: Emails, text-messages or phone calls sent at odd times of the night, creating a false sense of urgency, spelling errors, lack of punctuation or capitals in sentences, automated messages, random links or attachments, and generic business or company names.
For more information on scams and frauds, the public is encouraged to read The Little Black Book of Scams, which can be found online: https://www.competitionbureau.gc.ca/eic/site/cb-bc.nsf/eng/03074.html
If you are the recipient of a fraudulent call, text, or email, or if you have been a victim of a fraud, you are encouraged to report the incident to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre by calling 1-888-495-8501 or visit http://www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca.