BARRHEAD-A Barrhead area resident says she was recently targeted by a fraudster claiming she had won millions of dollars through a Reader’s Digest lottery, providing she pay a small fee in order to get her “prize.”
Fleur Whitley said she was contacted around suppertime on March 4 by a man claiming to represent Reader’s Digest. He told her she had won $8.5 million through the magazine’s sweepstakes.
Whitley said the caller initially sounded legitimate, as he provided a name and a phone number. He even paused long enough for her to write down the details and made sure she got the number correct.
As well, she actually does have a subscription to Reader’s Digest and has entered the sweepstakes in the past, albeit not recently
“It was not your typical-sounding scam,” said Whitley.
While he didn’t ask for any personal information like an address or bank account numbers, Whitley said the man provided her two options for claiming the money: by travelling to Las Vegas to pick it up in-person, or by sending him some money so that the prize could be sent to her.
Why was it necessary to pay a fee in order to access her prize? Because the fraudster told Whitley that it was illegal to send a cheque for more than $100,000 through the mail.
“I said to him, ‘That’s really not a problem. If you just send $99,999, we’ll be happy with that and we’ll avoid this hurdle of the legality,'" she said.
Ultimately, Whitley said she finished off the conversation by jokingly hoping the caller enjoyed his evening. She later went online to confirm that it was a scam.
Even so, Whitley said the caller seemed totally legitimate, considering she did enter those sweepstakes from Reader's Digest at one time. “Especially for seniors … it would be so easy to just go along with what he had in mind,” she added.
According to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre’s website, the “prize winner call” is a typical scam aimed at seniors. The caller often claims to represent Reader’s Digest or Publisher’s Clearing House and states the target of the scam has won a large cash prize or a car — they need only pay a small fee to cover taxes, legal fees or delivery costs.
Last July, an Athabasca resident contacted the Athabasca Advocate regarding a letter she had received from Reader’s Digest claiming she had won over $1.56 million.
Like with the fraudster who targeted Whitley, the letter also provided a phone number and a name for the resident to call.
Reader’s Digest Canada stresses on its website that winners of the sweepstakes will never have to pay any fees to receive their prize.
If you are ever targeted by a scam, you are urged to either contact the RCMP or the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre through its website.
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