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Canadian police target lottery scam in Dorset

152/04    24 September 2004

Canadian detective Sergeant Barry Elliot is meeting Dorset crime prevention officers, trading standards and consumer groups to help to tackle Canadian lottery scams, in conjunction with the Office of Fair Trading.

Thousands of UK residents have already been targeted, and have fallen victim to the fraudulent lottery schemes which promise winnings from the Canadian national lottery in return for administration or release fees.

Detective Staff Sergeant Elliot from the Ontario Provincial Police will meet trading standards officers on Monday (27 September) alongside OFT staff to discuss best practice and how close cooperation between the UK and Canada is helping to tackle the problem. He will also talk about his experience on the Canadian initiative PhoneBusters – a national police scheme set up specifically to target deceptive telemarketing scams.

Announcing the visit, Colin Brown, Director of Co-regulation, Codes and Coordination at the OFT, said:

'Millions of pounds are being lost by UK consumers to this scam so it is vital that we tackle the problem through continued cooperation and it remains a top priority for all involved in crime enforcement. Sergeant Elliot's visit is a key part of that strategy to keep a high profile for the Canadian lottery scam and to share best practice with UK enforcement and consumer agencies.'

Media opportunity: Barry Elliot will be available in Winfrith for on the record, on-camera, briefings on Monday 27 September. Please contact Rachel Clark on 020 7211 8899 for further details or to arrange an interview.

NOTES

1. Canada does not have a state backed national lottery. Super Sevens and 6/49 are legitimate private lotteries in Canada but they do not target UK consumers to enter or take part, and they are not state funded.

2. The OFT is working with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Competition Bureau of Canada, Phonebusters, the Ontario Provincial Police, Toronto Police, Ontario Ministry of Consumer and Business Services and the Attorney General's Office for British Columbia to tackle Canadian Lottery scams.

3. The OFT ran a consumer awareness campaign on Canadian lotteries in December 2003. See press release 156/03.

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