Lottery scam

Coast residents are warned to be on the lookout for fraudulent lottery winner notifications in the mail. A coast resident received a very authentic-looking, well-written “Set for Life” lottery letter advising her that her name was attached to a winning ticket and that there was nearly a million-dollar prize waiting for her to claim. However, the letter goes on to instruct the “winner” to reply by calling the number provided, and that failure to do so by an approaching deadline will mean forfeiting the prize. If the resident had called the number, she likely would have been advised that in order to claim the prize, she would have to give up personal and/or financial information or told that there are administrative fees required before the prize money can be claimed. To learn more about popular frauds and common red flags to watch for, please visit sites such as the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at https://www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca or the Better Business Bureau at www.bbb.org. Submitted by RCMP