Aug. 4, 2021 – A Burnaby man who thought he had won big is now warning others about a scam that preys on people eager to win a prize.
How the scam works is people are told they’ve won a prize, but they need to pay a “tax” first before receiving their winnings. Police say you can’t win a contest you don’t enter and you don’t pay taxes on lottery winnings.
“I just walked right into it,” said “Tom” (not his real name), who contacted the NOW after reading a February 2021 story about a Burnaby man being charged in connection with a similar scam. The victim said he got an email about a contest connected to a charity raffle that turned out to be fake. “It didn’t cost me much, but I feel stupid for falling for it. I needed some good news and they got me.
RCMP received a complaint on Nov. 4, 2019 from one of four alleged victims in a multi-jurisdictional Publisher Clearing House Scam.
“Scammers target citizens with high-pressure scare tactics,” said Const. Deanna Law with Coquitlam RCMP, in a news release. “We need to educate our community in order to stop these crimes. The best defence is to hang up, talk to a trusted friend and verify.” Burnaby Now reports. | READ MORE
