Grand Forks RCMP are warning people to be wary of a scam which comes through the mail and tells people they won $50,000 in the national lottery. The notification even includes a cheque for $19,050 made out from Koodo Mobile on a Bank of Montreal account in Edmonton.
“They want you to cash the cheque and send a portion of it back for taxes,” said Cpl. Richard Lanz. “They deduct this from the $50,000. The only thing is the cheque is a fraudulent cheque. The account number on the cheque is non-existent. It’s just a real scam.”
Lanz said the letter said several big name stores are participating in the program such as Walmart, Costco, Best Buy, Staples and more. All of which is bogus.
“If anyone receives anything like this in the mail – do not cash the cheque,” he said. “If people have any concerns – if they receive something and they’re not sure – bring it down to us and we’ll verify it.”