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St. Marys victim loses $73K to scam: Police

A Stratford Police Service cruiser seen here in this undated file photo. A Stratford Police Service cruiser seen here in this undated file photo.
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Stratford police said a person from the town of St. Mary’s has lost $73,000 after sending 25 e-transfers of varying amounts to fraudsters.

Police said the person received a phone call on Jan. 27, advising them they had been randomly selected as a prize winner for Publisher’s Clearing House. The person was told they had won $5 million and a new Mercedes.

The victim was directed to send funds through e-transfer to various individuals to cover the taxes for both the United States and Canada, according to police.

Officials said communication was ongoing between the parties, and it wasn’t until Mar. 15, Stratford police received a report of the incident after a family member of the victim approached an officer to express their concerns.

Police noted these types of scams are known as sweepstakes or lottery scams.

In these types of scams, fraudsters will contact potential victims to tell them they have won a prize. The victims are then told they need to pre-pay taxes, or administrative fees in order to claim their winnings,” police said.

Police are warning residents to be wary of these types of scams.

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