An elderly Nanaimo couple lost nearly $400,000 after falling victim to a phony lottery scam.
According to the Nanaimo RCMP, the scam started in early 2021 when the couple, both in their late ’80s, answered a phone call from someone claiming to be from Reader’s Digest magazine.
The caller informed the couple that they had won $18.5 million and a brand new Mercedes-Benz in the Reader’s Digest Sweep Stakes Mega Millions lottery.
In order to receive the winnings, the caller informed the couple they must first pay some administrative fees — something the Reader’s Digest Canada’s website states is not required in order to receive a prize.
A few days later, Nanaimo RCMP say, the couple received official-looking documents in the mail from the U.S Internal Revenue Service or IRS. The documents indicated the couple owed taxes on their winnings and that they were directed to contact Reader’s Digest Mega Millions in order to arrange payment.
From this point forward, each and every week, the scammer would call the couple and instruct them to make payments by cash via money orders. The couple was told the payments were necessary for paying U.S. tax on lottery winnings and to cover the storage fees of the Mercedes-Benz. Bank.
Nanaimo RCMP says bank drafts were drawn and delivered by mail to various addresses. Throughout the year, the couple made cash payments totalling nearly $400,000.
Const. Gary O’Brien, media spokesperson for the Nanaimo RCMP, said the couple…
