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More than £60,000 taken from people in lottery scam in West Midlands

More than £60,000 has been scammed from people in the West Midlands who thought they had won the lottery.

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At least 10 residents have been conned out of more than £63,000 in the region over the past three months, police have said.

The scammers phone their victims and say they have won a UK or international lottery – and trick people into believing it's true.

Kloe Burrows, from our economic crime unit, said: "These fraudsters are manipulative and can be very convincing.

"They are capable of exploiting anyone with their powers of persuasion; even to the point of getting people to believe they could be a winner even without doing a regular lottery.

"In these difficult times, the thought of winning a lot of money is even more appealing. But it’s imperative you stop and think; if it sounds too good to be true it often is."

Report

The scammers typically asked the "winner" to keep their success secret – but they need cash to cover taxes to ensure the victim can collect their cash prize.

They sometimes ask for bank details in another way to obtain money from accounts with at least 10 victims being reported since August.

People have been urged to not reply to any calls, emails, or communication from people who say they've won a lottery they haven't entered.

No official lottery operators will ask for fees to collect winnings – and people have been urged to never disclose their bank details.

Anyone who has been the victim of lottery fraud have been urged to report it to Action Fraud or West Midlands Police.

People can contact the force via live chat on their website or visit the Action Fraud website at www.actionfraud.police.uk

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