A 27-year-old Mississauga man has been charged with fraud over $5,000 following a local lottery scam.
On July 19, 2017, a Peterborough woman in her 80s received a phone call from a man who told her she had won $4 million through a lottery as well as a luxury car.
The caller told the woman that to claim her prize and have the funds released to her, she had to deposit $15,000 into his bank account. The victim then went to her bank to proceed with the transfer.
The following day, a relative of the victim (who had access to her banking records) noticed suspicious transactions in the victim’s account, including two bank transfers totalling $927 along with the $15,000 bank transfer. The relative had the bank cancel the $15,000 transfer before any funds had been withdrawn.
Police were contacted and began an investigation. Through the investigation, the accused was identified and attended the Peterborough police station on December 16th where he was placed under arrest.
Darren Sinclair, 27, of Shelby Crescent in Mississauga, is charged with fraud over $5,000.
The accused appeared in weekend and statutory holiday court on December 16th, was remanded in custody, and is scheduled to appear again in court later today (December 18).
Police remind residents that:
- Legitimate lotteries do not require you to pay a fee or tax to collect winnings.
- Never send money to anybody you don’t know and trust.
- Don’t provide personal banking details to anyone that you do not know and trust.
- Examine all of the terms and conditions of any offer very carefully-claims of free or very cheap offers often have hidden costs. Calls to premium rate phone numbers or premium text messages can be very expensive.
- Ask yourself “Did I enter this contest?” You cannot win money or a prize in a contest unless you have entered it yourself, or someone else has entered it on your behalf.
