Peterborough senior falls victim to lottery scam, nearly loses $15K

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A Peterborough woman was scammed, police say, and was almost out more than $15,000 after being informed she had won $4 million in a lottery last summer.

Police say she would have lost the money had a relative not noticed that she fell for a scam.

Police say on July 19, the woman, who is in her 80s, received a call from a man stating she had won a lottery and a luxury car. The caller added that in order to claim her prizes, she had to deposit $15,000 into his bank account.

The woman made the deposit at a bank.

Police say the following day a relative noticed the transactions, which included two transfers totalling $927 and a $15,000 transfer.

“The relative attended the bank and was able to cancel the $15,000 bank draft before any funds had been withdrawn,” stated police spokesperson Lauren Gilchrist. “Police were contacted and began an investigation.”

The investigation helped police identify a suspect. Police say, Darren Sinclair, 27, attended the police station on Dec. 16 where he was placed under arrest.

Sinclair, of Shelby Cres., Mississauga, is charged with fraud over $5,000.

Sinclair appeared in court on Dec. 16,  was remanded in custody and is scheduled to appear again in court on Monday.

Read the full story over at Global News.

This story was summarized by Canadian Fraud News Inc.