An elderly couple fell victims to international lottery scam
International lottery scam robs Texas couple of $14,000
An elderly Upshur County couple, who were unaware of various fraud schemes, fell victims to international lottery scam. They received notification regarding their $800,000 won provided by a lottery company headquartered in Australia.
"We've had to live very simply for a number of years, and my wife, Barbara, was really overjoyed when she thought she'd won the lottery. But it was just a scheme. Just a scam," commented on the jackpot Thomas McRee, 77, who retired as a draftsman.
According to News-journal.com, the company sent a check for $14,750 to the McRees, who were instructed to pay the sum covering expenses for customs, insurance and taxes. The couple did so and mailed the check to an associated group in a suburb of Vancouver, British Columbia.
"The check looked legitimate, and the bank accepted it without any question," Thomas said. But after they had mailed the money to Canada, the check bounced. The McRees, who were forced to move to Gilmer because of their tight financial position, reported the lottery scam to Upshur County Sheriff Anthony Betterton. However, the couple is likely not to get their cash back. The officials say it is very difficult to seize the scammers who use this scheme.
