Lottery scammers have become more creative over the past few years, targeting more susceptible individuals in order to obtain more money from them. Better Business Bureau recently revealed that some 80 percent of the lottery scams reported involve individuals above the age of 65. They are advised to carefully check all information they receive.
For years and years, scams related to the lottery have been popular around the globe, including across North America. Fraudsters seeking easy money contact individuals telling them they are the winner of a substantial amount of money and they have the right to collect their prize. All they have to do is send a specific amount of money and cover some additional fees.
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The Better Business Bureau has been monitoring lottery fraud attempts and reports related to them for quite a while with the help of its BBB Scam Tracker. Ever since 2018, this tracker has been receiving reports for lottery frauds, coming with all kinds of useful details surrounding them. This provides the bureau with a well-rounded picture regarding these practices.
Some 4,417 scams linked to lottery draws and sweepstakes have been reported ever since 2018 to the BBB Scam Tracker. This number shows that this is one of the preferred scenarios fraudsters have when they seek more cash. About 80 percent of the cases involving this type of story involve individuals aged 65 and older, as they are considered to be more gullible to such misrepresentation of information. Fraudsters are often drawn to them as a demographic.
Some $3.33 million have been poured into the bank accounts of criminals contacting elders and telling them they are eligible for a lottery payout. There are many ways in which the victims could be contacted, as criminals aim to diversify them. They could contact them via a phone call or an email, as well as by using Canada Post and sending them a letter.
Lottery Scams
Scammers need the victims’ names, personal address, as well as crucial financial information that later on enables the criminals to withdraw a large amount of cash from players’ bank account. Offering sensitive information to criminals is enough for them to take control over one’s life and put the fraudulent scheme to work.
The BBB also pointed out that scammers often use made-up names in order to sound more reputable and trustworthy, such as telling people they work for the Canadian Gaming and Lottery Commission. There is no such commission and even if there were, it would not contact the winner. Instead, the information flow usually goes the other way, with the winners contacting the Crown corporation once they discover they are eligible for a cash prize.
Individuals of all ages should remember that a lottery ticket purchase is a mandatory condition for one to become eligible for a prize and not remembering doing so might be a red flag. Canadian players should also bear in mind that a lottery corporation would never ask them to cover any additional fees. Individuals seeking more information should contact the Crown corporation overseeing their provincial gaming field.
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