Widow loses life savings to Lottery fraudsters
18/08/2008 15:33:27
An 82 year old widow from Blackburn handed over £35,000 to fraudsters in the belief she had won €500,000 on a lottery. The unlucky lady believed her and her family would be set for life when she was told she had won the Spanish Lottery but the Widow lost her life savings to Lottery fraudsters instead.
Jim Potts from Lancashire’s Trading Standards said the lady was a victim of an international crime wave and urges people not to respond to letters and emails as you cannot possibly win a lottery you have never bought a ticket for.
The fraudsters told the widow she needed to send weekly cheques to release her winnings costing the Widow her life savings to Lottery fraudsters. The fraudsters came up with several ploys including one asking for £7,000 to cover Spanish Lottery tax.
Her family only discovered what had happened when she asked her son to be her financial executor in case she became ill. He immediately realised something was amiss and stopped any more cheques being sent.
The lady did not have the internet and was scammed by a postal fraud, something that is becoming increasing familiar as fraudsters target the old and vulnerable.
There’s a lesson to be learned here and the old adage about being “too good to be true” certainly comes into play. We all hope to be lucky Lottery winners but you don’t get “something for nothing” and if you haven’t participated in a competition then you are not going to be a lucky winner, even if you are informed by telephone, post or email.
Page Last Updated: 18/06/2010 12:31:22
