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littleroundman
04-27-2012, 11:12 PM
Fake Aussie lottery traps US seniors



by: From correspondents in Los Angeles
From: AP
April 28, 2012 10:35AM


A SCAM involving a fake multi-million dollar Australian lottery has led to elderly Americans, some with dementia, being fleeced of their life savings, authorities have warned.

The scammers, identifying themselves as Australian Government Lottery officials, call or send letters to the elderly claiming they have won tens of millions of dollars, but tell the victims they must wire money to "secret Swiss bank accounts" to cover processing fees.

An 89-year-old woman in Hillsborough, California, was duped into wiring $US70,000 to scammers operating out of Vancouver, Canada, in order to collect $US7.5 million in winnings.

"She was basically called and told that she won the Australian Government Lottery and it was $US7.5 million and that she would have to pay some processing fees to get the money," Detective Linda Grange of the Vancouver Police Financial Crimes Unit told reporters.

The victim was called several more times advising her of additional winnings of $US10.5 million and instructed to open more accounts, but after she sent the money she never heard from the callers.

Californian authorities contacted Canadian police and three alleged Vancouver-based scammers, Nazifa Raza, 27, Saheem Raza, 30, and Fareed Raza, 38, were arrested.