NI pensioner sent £38,000 to fraudsters after being caught in postcode lottery scam

In another incident a victim in Belfast lost £60,000 as part of a bitcoin scam.

PSNI Chief Superintendent Simon Walls is reminding people be extra vigilant.

He said: “We continue to receive reports of scams. In Dungannon an older person was targeted by an international online postcode lottery Ssam.

“The scammers requested the victim send them a small amount of money in order for them to receive their winnings of £1.3 million. This correspondence continued over a period of time with additional amounts of money requested on each occasion, and a minor amount returned from the scammers.

“In total £38,000 has been forwarded to the scammers since November 2019.

“In another case in Belfast an older target was part of a bitcoin scam. Attention was drawn to this when they recently attended their bank and attempted to transfer £5,000. The victim believed they were part of a recovery agency scheme where the company transfers a small sum of money into their account and the target then transfers a larger sum out, £60,000 has been lost to this scam since July 2020.”

He added: “No matter what type of scam it is, and the different methods employed, a common element shared by scammers is their only aim is to take money from people and they will go to great lengths to trick people and take advantage of their vulnerability and good faith.”

“I can’t stress enough - never ever disclose your personal or banking details to anyone over the phone or on e-mail, no matter how convincing they sound to you.”