The Unity RCMP detachment is warning the public about a “dramatic increase” in reports of lottery scam phone calls.
Police said the most commonly reported scam was a phone call telling people they have won an extravagant prize through the STARS Air Ambulance Lottery.
“Everyone dreams of winning a big lottery prize. Unfortunately, scammers are known to take advantage of this and will attempt to manipulate people by falsely claiming they have won an extravagant prize and asking them to send payment in order to claim their prize,” the RCMP warned in a news release.
Police advise people to remember that they will never be asked to send a payment of any kind in order to claim a legitimate lottery prize.
RCMP are also sharing the reminder to contact STARS directly to verify if you did win a prize and to always use the official number or website and not the one provided by phone. In Saskatchewan, the phone number for STARS is 1-855-449-2444 or people can check the website to see the official list of prize winners.
Anyone who receives one of these scam lottery phone calls is warned not to give any personal information away but to record the phone number and hang up immediately. You can then report to the local police detachment or the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.