OAP loses £24,000 in lotto scam

Apparently one cannot say it loud enough or often enough to prevent some from getting caught out.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/...st/8464334.stm

An elderly woman from the Aberdeen area has been cheated out of £24,000 in a Euromillions lottery scam, police said.
The woman, who is in her 70s, was persuaded to contact a phone number after receiving a letter telling her she had won a major Euromillions prize.

Insp Roddy MacInnes said: "This was quite a sophisticated scam in that the second payment was paid into a genuine and unsuspecting British company's account.
"This was used as payment for vehicle parts sent to another part of the world, which in turn were sold on by the criminals."
He advised anyone who receives an unsolicited telephone call or letter suggesting they have either won a huge sum or could make vast amounts of money should be suspicious straightaway.

[Peter_]

Will they never learn.

Originally Posted by Moldova

Will they never learn.

Apparently not..so we need to keep telling people to be aware..

[Peter_]

I know it is so sad especially when its an older person.

You would think with all the publicity nowadays that people would be more aware, but as we are all to aware many still get stung.

[Russ]

A person in their 70s is hardly going to be tech-savvy enough to know about this sort of thing though. Some people are beyond learning which is why criminals and distraction burglars tend to target the elderly.

[superbiatch]

Originally Posted by Russ

A person in their 70s is hardly going to be tech-savvy enough to know about this sort of thing though. Some people are beyond learning which is why criminals and distraction burglars tend to target the elderly.

Its our duty to make sure they are aware of these things because unfortunately they cannot always see the bad in some people.

Twice burglars waited for my grandma to be out the house (mowing the lawn once and chatting to a neighbour the 2nd time), entered the house knowing full well my grandfather was deaf and blind - walking straight past him. They ransacked their savings house taking money and jewellery. Absolute *******s to steal from someone who can't even fight back

Even after it happened the first time she still thought she was immune to it happening a second time They are both gone now, but i do wish we'd have done more to protect them.

[Arthurgray50@blu]

These people are ****, l believe that banks who have customers of that age, should have a system where the banks contact a second number, ie one of the family who can check why this sum of money has been paid, until the money goes forward.

I.e, OAP contacted, say 1.000, the bank won't clear the money until, a gaurdian is contacted, if all clear, bank clears it.

I remember a few years ago l had a call to say that l had won a trip to Florida, but l had to pay £5.000 to Florida to collect the prize first, then they asked for my bank details, as soon as l said my son was a policeman, they put the phone down, we tried the number, and all we heard was a burrrr.

[LondonRoad]

Originally Posted by Arthurgray50@blu

, and all we heard was a burrrr.

It wasn't Raymond of Ironside and Perry Mason fame, was it?

[bopdude]

Originally Posted by Arthurgray50@blu

Snip.

Not often I've agreed with you Arthur, but your spot on there, if the banks suspect any wrong doing, regardless of age, they should raise a ticket, get it checked out, or would that take up to much of their bonus