ELDERLY TARGETS OF CANADIAN LOTTERY SCAM
Senior Victim Services Issues Warning to Delco Residents

(March 4, 2003 - Media, PA) A Canadian Lottery scam has hit Delaware County. Cross-border telemarketers have been using high-pressure tactics aimed primarily at elderly people to cheat them out of thousands of dollars. The scam may go something like this: A man calls and identifies himself as a Canadian Lottery official. He tells the senior that they have won millions of dollars in the lottery. All they need to do to claim their prize is to pay the tax on their winnings up front. The senior is then directed to withdraw money from their bank account and wire it to a Canadian bank.

Police in a number of Delaware County municipalities have received several reports of Canadian Lottery scam cases recently. In one case an elderly Springfield Township woman wired $48,000 to a Canadian bank only to discover there was no multi-million dollar prize forthcoming. Diane Peters, of Senior Victim Services of Delaware County, says consumers should beware of any calls or mail offers they receive concerning the Canadian Lottery. "They may be scratch-off cards that come through the mail that show you've won $10,000 or more, or phone calls saying you've won $15 million dollars, or offers to sell you Canadian Lottery tickets. They are all scams that demand money up front or 'processing fees' from you. The bottom line is - they get your money and you get nothing."

Peters says older people are the main targets of the scheme. She urges that consumers remember that in a legitimate contest you never have to pay taxes up front, there is never a processing fee to claim a legitimate prize, it shouldn't cost anything to enter a contest, and that you should be wary of calls or letters saying you've won a contest or lottery you've never entered. It is also a crime for U.S. consumers to buy Canadian Lottery tickets.

Senior Victim Services is a non-profit organization located in Media that offers support to the victims of crime in Delaware County aged 55 and over. SVS will provide speakers and crime prevention programs free of charge. Call (610) 627-2292 for more information.