Scammers are using fake Facebook accounts to impersonate a recent CA$55m (US$40.7m) lottery winner in Canada, luring their victims in with the goal of stealing Bitcoin. Scott Gurney recently won the Lotto Max jackpot and has found himself mixed up in the recent scams.
Numerous scamming victims have contacted the 58-year-old lottery winner, informing him they have been conned by accounts using his information. The fake Facebook accounts typically show a photo of Gurney holding the lottery jackpot check he received after winning.
I will be helping 20 families with 30k each.”
In the scams, the offenders offer to give away money to victims, with one page saying: “I will be helping 20 families with 30k each.” When people reached out to these accounts to try to get a slice of the action, they were informed they had to pay a processing fee. One person told local media that they lost CA$450 (US$333) worth of Bitcoin through the scam, with another individual losing CA$300 (US$222).
Gurney has confirmed that he is not giving away any of his money for now. The financial adviser is busy making sure that his current clients are fully taken care of for tax season. The Sidney local wants anyone who falls victim to a scam to reach out to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) instead of contacting him.