A Nanaimo woman is out $27,000 after being convinced she had to pay upfront taxes on lotto winnings which didn't exist. (Pxfuel)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

scam

Nanaimo woman loses $27K in lotto scam, believing she’d won

Apr 29, 2021 | 11:18 AM

NANAIMO — Telephone scammers only need one person to fall for their scheme to make it worth it.

A Nanaimo senior was such a case, losing $27,000 to a telephone scam where she was convinced she’d won upwards of $750 million and a new car in the lottery. She was told to pay cash and gift cards in upfront taxes for the prize which never existed.

Nanaimo RCMP Cst. Gary O’Brien said she didn’t realize it was a scam until her money never arrived and she talked to her son.

“They’re playing on your feelings,” O’Brien told NanaimoNewsNOW. “Stop for a second, talk to a family member or trusted friend, do a Google search and find out the overwhelming majority of these are absolute frauds. A legitimate lotto never requires you to pay any taxes.”

O’Brien said this is one of the larger amounts of money taken in a telephone scam.

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“A lot of people are really switched on now and not falling for it. Sometimes it slips through and this is a sad one.”

Anyone wary of scams or believes they’re being scammed are urged to visit the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre online.

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