Grandmother conned in lottery scam

Last Updated: Sunday 17th July 2011, 19:15

A grandmother from Fylde in the UK has been conned in a fake lottery scam. We’re always giving warnings about lottery scams, and they seem to go through fazes of being rife around the UK, so make sure you keep your wits about you so you aren’t stuck like this lady was. The 73- year-old woman, known only as Marjorie was contacted by telephone and told she had won the lottery, but the entire thing was a scam and she is now thousands out of pocket.

A man with an American accent called Marjorie and told her she had won £210,000 in a foreign lottery. The man claimed to work in the American Duty Tax department and he told the lady she needed to pay 1% tax on the win. After handing over £2,100, the ‘lottery winner’ was contacted again and paid a further $5,000 to release the money.

Marjorie told no one of the win, as the man on the phone had warned her of a confidentiality clause and so she kept the news to herself. When the money never arrived, the lady realised she had been conned and contacted the police.

It’s very unfortunate for this lady, who has lost thousands of pounds and it’s why everyone needs to be aware that if something seems too good to be true, then it probably is. Lottery scams are widespread and you really need to be careful. No real lottery would ever ask you for any money, and more importantly, you cannot win a lottery you never bought lottery tickets for!
 

Written by Chris Brown

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