Huron OPP say a resident lost $1,500. through a "Powerball lottery" scam on Facebook.
The Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh woman was tricked into believing she had won a $145,000. prize by a Facebook message.
Huron OPP Constable Jamie Stanley says scammers are increasingly using Facebook and other social media platforms to target victims.
You should be wary of any unsolicited messages claiming you won a prize, especially if you first have to pay something to receive your winnings. The false message may appear to come from a distant relative or family friend.
The victim thought she was being contacted by a childhood friend who saw her name on the prize winner list of a lottery. The victim was told a $1,500. "clearance fee" was required.
She realized she had been duped when the scammers then requested more money for delivery fees.
TIPS TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM SCAMS
- Never send money up front on the promise of a prize, lottery or sweepstakes win.
- Scammers are notorious for requesting money to be sent via a money service provider. Never send money to strangers through a wire transfer service.
- Never accept a friend request, engage in a chat or respond to a message from unknown persons online.
- Limit your personal information on your social media profiles and pay attention to your privacy settings. Restrict accounts to a “Friends” only privacy setting. If you leave your privacy setting at “Public” you may be exposed to potential scammers.
- Should you receive a suspicious message from a family member or friend, confirm the message through an outside source not associated to Facebook, by a telephone call or personal visit wherever possible.
- Report suspicious messages to site administrators.
- Always remember, if it sounds too good to be true it probably is.
- If you or someone you know has been a victim of fraud, contact your local police service or the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501.
