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Canadian police target lottery scam in York

158/04     28 September 2004

Canadian detective Sergeant Barry Elliot is to speak at a Citizens Advice conference in York on how to tackle Canadian lottery scams, alongside 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.

The National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux conference at York University on Wednesday 29 September will see Citizens Advice staff from around the country gather to discuss consumer issues.

Sergeant Elliot from the Ontario Police will be speaking on how close cooperation between the OFT and Canada is helping to tackle the problem and the role Citizens Advice have to play in warning consumers. He will also talk about his experience with the Canadian initiative PhoneBusters – a national police scheme set up specifically to target deceptive telemarketing scams.

Announcing the visit, Colin Brown, Director of Co-regulations, 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, to share best practice with UK agencies and to get the message across to consumers.'

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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