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Clonmany family targeted in lottery scam 11.09.08

by Damian Dowds, Inishowen Independent

INISHOWEN residents have been warned of another lottery scam. A Clonmany woman contacted the Inishowen Independent last week having received a letter from Loteria Primitiva addressed to her late husband stating that he had won €615,810 in a Spanish lottery.
The letter was posted from Malaga in southern Spain at the end of last month, and seeks bank account details and other personal information.
While the letter looks professional, it is undoubtedly a fake. In an effort to isolate those who received letters, they fraudsters insisted that the winners not go public.
“My husband passed away two years ago so I was immediately suspicious,” the woman, who did not wish to be identified, said. “I showed it to my children and other family members to show it is a scam.”
“I don’t know how these people got our address,” the woman continued. “A similar letter addressed to me arrived three weeks ago and I destroyed it, but this was addressed to my late husband and that upset me.”
As ever, Garda advice to members of the public who received unsolicited mail suggesting they have won money in lotteries abroad should put them in the bin.
“People need to be especially aware of any letters which look for bank account or credit card details and should never disclose those in any circumstances,” a Garda spokesman said.
“I’d like to see the Garda raise this scam with their colleagues in Spain,” the Clonmany woman concluded. “It is attempted fraud and the people behind it should be prosecuted.”
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