DA Warns of Foreign Lottery Phone Scam

Medford Man Lost Thousands in Telephone Scam

Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone is warning all residents, especially seniors, of a telephone scam that is occurring in many communities.

According to DA Leone, the foreign lottery scam recently targeted a Medford man and a Cambridge man and each lost thousands of dollars.

DA Leone said the lottery scam involves a third party contacting a potential victim by phone in an attempt to convince the victim he/she has won a lottery in the West Indies or Costa Rica. The party than tells the victim that before the victim can claim the winnings, he/she must first pay taxes on the prize money, which is usually in the tens of thousands of dollars. After the victim mails the check, the party tell the victim to wait until a fictitious date, when the supposed “winnings ” will be awarded, and the winnings are never sent.

“This telemarketing scam is targeting residents, especially our seniors, at a time when so many people are hard-pressed financially. We are warning citizens never to send money or checks to anyone who has contacted you that you do not know, especially when that person has a foreign address. If you feel that you have been a victim of this or a similar scam, we urge you to contact your local police department,” said DA Leone.

The DA urges anyone who might have been a victim of the scam to contact the police immediately. In addition, anyone who has been contacted by the following numbers should contact police:

1-876-397-5452

1-876-894-3554

1-876-486-2159

– InsideMedford.com