Goldsboro Man Almost Loses Savings In Canadian Scam

A retired 79-year-old real estate broker who asked to remain anonymous says he thought he hit the jackpot after receiving a piece of mail from Canada saying he won the lottery. All he had to do was send money.

"Well, I thought that I was going to get rich, but it seemed like it was too good to be true," he says. "On my way to the bank, I got cold feet and I decided that I needed to talk to somebody. I talked to my banker."

Scam artists usually do their work over the phone or through the mail. They usually target senior citizens because they are considered lonely and sometimes in need of money.

There are five different Canadian scams currently running in North Carolina. Scam No. 1 (The Barrister Scam)A Canadian lawyers calls to say that the individual has won the Canadian lottery. The catch is the individual has to pay the tax on the winnings in advance. Scam No. 2 (Variation On The Barrister Scam)A phony lawyer pretends to be saving the individual from a scam. The catch is the individual has to pay the lawyer a retainer fee. Scam No. 3 (British Bond Scam)The con artist calls to say that an individual has won a savings bond from Great Britain. The catch is the individual has to send money to register the bond in his or her name. Scam No. 4 (International Lottery Scam)The con artist convinces an individual to buy a ticket to a lottery pool where the chances of winning are 1 in 3. The catch is the individual has to pay a lottery agent fee upfront. Scam No. 5 (Credit Card/Insurance Scam)The con artist asks for credit card information over the phone.

The State Attorney General's officeis now investigating the new scams.

Meanwhile, they advise everyone to not buy anything over the phone from someone who calls them. They also say do not give out your bank account information or credit card numbers over the phone.

They say the best thing to do is to just hang up on the con artists.