The cheque that showed up in one Burnaby resident’s mail sure looked real.
But Lillian, a sharp-eyed senior who did not want to use her last name, figured the $10,000 cheque and $600,000 windfall that would follow from a Publishers Clearing House letter was a little too good to be true.
And she was right. But she felt compelled to warn other residents, especially seniors, who may be tempted or fooled by the scam.
“It’s a scary thing,” Lillian told the NOW, adding especially this time of year, it could be a real problem for seniors.
While she wasn’t fooled, it didn’t stop the 89-year-old from having a little fun with the would-be scammers.
Lillian explained she phoned the number to claim the prize and spoke to someone back east by the name of Mr. Diaz.
He told her to deposit the cheque but started asking her questions about her bank account and how much money she had. He urged her to go to the bank that day. Lillian made up an excuse to not follow through and instead called her bank to confirm it was indeed a scam.
“I haven’t fallen off a turnip truck,” she joked. “I may be 89, but I have my wits about me.”
The next day, she phoned Mr. Diaz who told her the money would be at the airport waiting for her, but to get it, there was a catch. She would have to pay an $8,000 fee. He was pushy, asking for Lillian’s credit card number. At that point, the senior had enough.
“Mr. Diaz, I don’t think I’ll be doing business with you,” she politely told him.
“‘I’m going to ask the Lord Jesus Christ to really speak to you,’ and he said, ‘Oh, thank you, good bye.’”
Besides letting her bank know, she also called Burnaby RCMP about the scam.
While glad she wasn’t taken, Lillian said she was lucky because it looked very real.
“To have a cheque, and having them insist that you go and deposit it, it’s very tempting,” she said.
Scams are nothing new to Burnaby. Local RCMP have warned the public about various scams over the years. Earlier this year, a Burnaby resident was scammed out of $8,000 worth of iTunes cards.
The woman received a call from a man claiming to be with the Canadian Revenue Agency, who told her she owed money and if she didn’t pay, she’d be cuffed and thrown in jail.
