Telus is warning Canadians about a surge in a common international lottery scam being sent via letter mail to residents of British Columbia, Alberta and Manitoba, falsely claiming an association with TELUS and Koodo.
In a public service announcement issued July 6 Telus urges customers not to send funds or give out personal information in responses to the letters.
An example of an "advance fee scheme," the scam involves letters that claim to be from an organization titled The National Lottery (in conjunction with Koodo Mobile and Telus Corporation). The letter states that the recipient has won a $51,950 cash prize in the World International Consumers and telephone users sweepstakes held in the United Kingdom on July 28.
The recipient is asked to make a bank deposit to cover taxes and processing fees and includes a cheque to cover the costs. However, that cheque is forged and will bounce, while any money deposited will be lost.
Telus states that these letters are fraudulent, and are in no way related to it or other companies the scam artists claim to be associated with. It's recommended recipients "simply throw the letters in the recycling bin."
The RCMP Anti Fraud department and Canada Post are aware of this scam. Canada Post is evaluating and they will work toward preventing these letters from entering the Canadian mail system.
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