STARS Air Ambulance is warning people about a phone scam following the wrap up of the 2017 STARS Lottery in Saskatchewan.
“We do seem to see a bit of a spike in these spam calls being reported to us and the RCMP and the fraud centre during the campaign and once it winds down. I know that everybody dreams of winning a big lottery prize but unfortunately scammers out there have been known to take advantage of this,” says Fatima Khawaja, a Spokesperson for STARS.
“To protect yourself you really need to keep these two points in mind. One, you will never ever be asked to send money to claim a STARS lottery prize. If you’re being asked to send a cheque, a money order or payment of any kind, know that it is a scam.”
She adds, “the second thing is, the best thing to do is just check directly with STARS to verify if you’re a winner.”
Winners are notified through regular mail. You can also find out if you’re a winner by checking the lottery website or by emailing [email protected].
Khawaja advises people who think they are being targeted by a scam to try and take down the phone number and contact your local RCMP detachment, as well as the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
The Saskatchewan STARS lottery raised more than $2.4 million for the non-profit this year.