Canadian Lottery Scam Warning for Atlantic Provinces
Atlantic Lottery, the lottery corporation which represents four Canadian Atlantic provinces, has issued a warning to the public about a new lotto scam which has hit the region.
Atlantic Lottery said that the public has reported on receiving calls from Canadian lotto scammers claiming to be from the lottery corporation, telling them that they have won a prize.
While not many of these cases have been reported, there have been enough incidences for Atlantic Lottery to justify a public warning.
Innocent lottery players are being asked to provide personal details as part of the Canadian lottery scam and, in some cases, to pay a fee before they are sent their alleged winnings.
According to the director of security and compliance with Atlantic Lottery, Colin Smith: "It is not our practice to ask any of our players to provide us with banking information over the phone or email, nor would we require players to pay a deposit fee or taxes to claim a prize."
"We handle our winners' personal information very carefully, so any request for personal information should raise a red flag for people," he said.
All Canadian lotteries have a strict policy not to send out requests for tax payments or administration fee payments as a pre-condition to release winnings. This is crucial to remember in a bid to identify potential lottery scammers in Canada.
Smith said that "in order to win an Atlantic Lottery prize, you would have needed to have bought a ticket or entered one of our contests."
He said a person's best bet is to always ask a caller for a name and contact number and "if the number given is outside of Atlantic Canada, you know it's not us calling."
Anybody who believes they have been the victim - or potential victim - of a Canadalotto scam, should contact the lottery or the police immediately.
Atlantic Canada Lottery Action this Weekend
In the meantime, there are plenty of legit lottery options running this week through Atlantic Lottery Corporation, beginning with tonight's estimated $50 million Lotto Max draw, plus an additional 2 x $1 million MaxMillion winners.
This Saturday will also see an estimated $12 million up for grabs through the Lotto 649 draw.
Atlantic Lottery tickets can be bought online or through retail stores and outlets which are certified to sell lottery tickets.
Atlantic Lottery offers lottery games on behalf of the governments of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Prince Edward Island. The corporation employs over 600 people and offers multiple gambling services, including lottery, bingo games, sports wagering and internet gaming.
