Durham Regional Police – Police Warning Public After Uxbridge Seniors Defrauded of Life Savings
Police are warning the public after two seniors from Uxbridge were defrauded of their life savings.
An elderly couple were lead to believe they won millions in a United States lottery have lost $1.2 million. After losing their life savings they turned to a family friend requesting a loan of $130,000. It was that friend that contacted police.
Residents are reminded to consider the following when you are contacted as a lottery winner:
Ask yourself, “When did I buy a ticket or when did I enter the lottery?”
Most lotteries require you to be a resident of the province, state and/ or country to collect the winnings i.e. generally speaking a resident of Ontario cannot collect on a lottery based in the United States, the United Kingdom, etc.
In Canada, it is illegal to charge a fee, tax, etc. associated to the winning i.e. if you win $1,000.00 you have won $1,000.00, no service fee, no insurance fee, no clearance fee, etc.
If you are uncertain about the validity of a lottery you can contact the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario and/ or the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre to confirm
And remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probable is.
For more information on current frauds, see https://www.drps.ca/community-safety-and-support/crime-prevention/fraud-and-financial-crimes/
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love