RCMP say Vancouver Island seniors lose hundreds of thousands in lottery scam

NANAIMO, B.C. – RCMP say a couple in Nanaimo, B.C., who thought they had won more than $18 million and a luxury vehicle in a lottery were instead scammed out of almost $400,000.

A statement from police says the couple, who are both in their late 80s, were contacted by phone early last year.

They were told they had won $18.5 million and a Mercedes-Benz but would have to pay administrative fees in order to collect.

Over the year, police say the couple received official-looking documents and weekly calls from the scammers directing them to pay taxes and other fees through bank drafts sent to various addresses.

By the time police became involved, Nanaimo Const. Gary O’Brien says the financial loss was one of the largest they have seen in the city.

He says the persistence of those behind the fraud demonstrates that they will not stop until “there is no more money to give, or you figure out it is a scam.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 10, 2022.