VANCOUVER – Telus is warning Canadians about an international lottery scam being sent via letter mail to residents of British Columbia, Alberta and Manitoba, falsely claiming an association with Telus and Koodo.
Known as an "advance fee scheme," the scam involves letters that appear to be originating from England stating the recipient has won a $51,950 cash prize, and asking them to deposit a money order to cover taxes and processing fees with their bank in order to claim the prize. The letter includes a cheque to cover the recipient's costs, however, that cheque is forged and will bounce, while any money deposited will be lost.
The letters claim to be from an organization titled The National Lottery, (in conjunction with Koodo Mobile and Telus Corporation), and state the recipient is a lucky winner in the World International Consumers and telephone users sweepstakes held in the United Kingdom on July 28.
These letters are fraudulent, and are in no way related to Telus or other companies the scam artists claim to be associated with. The RCMP Anti-Fraud department and Canada Post are aware of this scam. Telus recommends customers disregard and discard the letters.
