The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Imagine finding out you have won a foreign lottery - thousands, or perhaps even millions of dollars are coming your way. It sounds like a dream come true, but for many it is a nightmare. Every day Canadians, Americans and those in the United Kingdom fall victim to criminals who persuade them that they have won a prize or lottery. That's exactly what happened to John Williams*, a 44 year-old businessman who lives in Saskatoon with his wife and two children. Last May, he received a letter in the mail about a Spanish lottery called La Primitiva. Williams was eligible to play - all he had to do was pay $50 to obtain a ticket. "It was very exciting," admitted Williams. "Living in Saskatoon, I thought I was extremely lucky to receive an offer like that." Williams was also going through a difficult time in his life. He had injured his back and was unable to work. He saw the lottery as an opportunity. "I didn't think I had anything to lose," he said. Unfortunately, he was wrong. Williams paid the fee but never received a ticket. "I was disappointed but decided to move on," said Williams. Williams had completely forgotten about La Primitiva until another letter arrived in November 2003. He had apparently won 300,000 Euro (about $490,000 Canadian) in the lottery. "The letter was written in a clear and articulate manner. It was very official looking and listed international batch numbers and dates," Williams remembered. Williams called the long distance phone number to claim his prize. "The verification process wasn't immediate. I gave them the batch numbers and my personal information and they took time to ensure everything matched. I even gave them my driver's license number." In order to collect his winnings, Williams was instructed to wire $2,400 to a bank in Spain, to cover the tax on his prize money, which he did. See 'Don't' P.# Con't from P.# Despite his excitement over winning such a large amount of money, Williams began to have his doubts. "I was asking questions and even spoke to the bank I wired my money to in Spain. They had all the answers." Williams continued to have a nagging suspicion that something wasn't right. He spoke to the local police who referred him to PhoneBusters. PhoneBusters is a national anti-fraud call centre initiative of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). "In hindsight the bank was obviously in on the scam. It was a very elaborate scam," said Williams. The people at PhoneBusters explained to Williams that Canadians never have to pay taxes, fees or other costs to claim a prize, and that these foreign lottery scams are very common. Shortly after contacting PhoneBusters, Williams received another letter from La Primitiva requesting that he send $8,000 to pay for the interest accumulating on his winnings. Thanks to his call to PhoneBusters, Williams declined to send payment. "I knew I had made the right choice," said Williams. "Although I lost a large sum of money, I was fortunate that it wasn't a lot more." The first step to protect yourself from fraud is to learn how to recognize it. Canada's Competition Bureau recently launched a major anti-fraud education campaign to help Canadians learn how to recognize, report and stop fraud. The campaign will also be adopted for use in the United States and made available to partners in the United Kingdom. It is the first international effort of its kind. "Both businesses and consumers are being ripped off by these sophisticated crooks," said Sheridan Scott, Commissioner, Competition Bureau. "This is a problem that's too big for one person or one organization to address." All Canadians are at risk of being victimized by scam artists, no matter what their age, education or income. Research shows that the risk of being a victim of these crimes cannot be predicted by any demographic variable. In fact, fraud victims are more likely to be well-educated, well-informed, relatively affluent and involved in their community. Criminals prey on two basic human traits: trust and greed. There are several things Canadians can do to protect themselves from fraud and it all begins with learning how to recognize it: - Don't believe that everyone calling with an exciting promotion is trustworthy - Don't be afraid to request further documentation from the caller so you can verify the validity of the company - Don't be fooled by the promise of a valuable prize in return for a low-cost purchase - Don't be pressured to send money to take advantage of a "special offer" or "deal" - Don't be hurried into sending money to claim a prize that is available for only a "few hours" - Don't provide personal information such as social insurance and driver's license numbers, especially over the phone - Don't be afraid to hang up the phone - Do request written, detailed information - including references - and time to research any offer - Do be extra cautious about calls, e-mails or mailings offering international bonds or lottery tickets, a portion of a foreign dignitary's bank account, free vacations, credit repair, or schemes with unlimited income potential - Do shred or destroy unwanted personal information such as bank statements - Do get a credit report and check it thoroughly at least once a year Williams is still emotional about the situation. "It hurts that I was taken for a ride," he said. "I was distraught and still am. However, I want to take my negative experience and help educate others. Hopefully, they can learn from my mistakes." To learn more about ways you can protect yourself from fraud or if you think you may be a victim of fraud, Canadians can call PhoneBusters, a national anti-fraud call centre initiative of the OPP and the RCMP, at 1-888-495-8501, or visit http://www.phonebusters.com. * Name has been changed to protect the victim's identity.
