Senior loses $152,000 in 'International Sweepstakes Lottery' scam

A Norfolk County senior was scammed, police say, out of $152,000 after being told the senior had won a $24.9M lottery. 

Norfolk County OPP say the senior was contacted by phone between April 2016 to Oct. 31, 2017. The unknown caller said the homeowner had won an International Sweepstakes Lottery valued at $24.9 million US, and would have to send money through wire transfers to cover taxes. 

The wire transfers were sent to addresses in San Francisco and New Jersey, then subsequently transferred to a number of unknown individuals.

The OPP are warning people to hang up when called by anyone who claims you've won a lot of money from a sweepstakes lottery or a new vehicle.

"Don't become a statistic,"  said Const. Ed Sanchuk. "Fraud is a multi-billion dollar enterprise that will only stop when the scammers stop getting money, banking information or personal information. The best thing to do is to simply hang up the phone."

Police advise people who suspect they may be a fraud victim to contact local police and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501. You can find information on the latest scams on the Anti-Fraud Centre's website.