The RCMP are advising members of the East Indian community to be aware of a telephone lotto scam that surfaced this past weekend in Nanaimo.
On Saturday, July 21 at approximately 10 a.m., a woman received a phone call from a man who introduced himself speaking only Punjabi and Hindi.
The caller told the recipient they had won $50,000 in a lotto that was recently advertised on Channel 531 on the Shaw Network.
This channel is watched primarily by people whose first language is either Punjabi or Hindi, and is very popular in the East Indian community on Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland.
The caller stated that before the female could receive her winnings, she was required to pay an administrative fee of $625.
She was then told to go to the TD Bank within the next 30 minutes and withdraw the money.
“In this particular case, the person targeted knew it was a scam,” said RCMP Corporal Gary O’Brien, who noted the best thing to do is simply hang up and notify your friends and family.