Kelowna RCMP are reminding the public to refrain from disclosing their personal banking information after a prize pitch resulted in a local senior getting scammed.
On Sunday, November 16th, the RCMP received a report of fraud from a residence on the 300 block of Yates Road. A 76 year old Kelowna woman had received a letter from Publishers Clearing House indicating that she was a winner of their Lottery Awards Program.
The woman made contact by calling a telephone number provided within the letter and answered several questions. She was told a deposit of $5,000 had been made into her account, which she quickly confirmed.
Unfortunately, the letter was fraudulent and connected the woman with the scammers. The questions she answered disclosed her personal banking information and the “deposit” had actually been a transfer from one of her other accounts. In the process, the fraudsters also withdrew $500 for themselves.
The woman has since taken the appropriate steps to protect her finances.
“It is important to understand that you cannot win a lottery without first buying a ticket or entering the sweepstakes,” said Kris Clark from the Kelowna RCMP. “Lottery award winners are not randomly selected from the white pages.”
Tickets for foreign lotteries must be purchased in the country of origin and no one can buy one on your behalf.
For more information on frauds and scams go to the anti fraud website.
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