RICHMOND RCMP on Wednesday released photographs of suspects believed to be involved in a lottery ticket fraud scheme in the hope that these would assist them in the identification of these individuals and help prevent any further victimization.
On September 26, RCMP responded to a fraud in the area of Richmond Centre. The victim was allegedly approached by a male suspect, who stated he needed help in claiming the winnings from a lottery ticket. The suspect alleged that he could not claim the winnings as he was an illegal immigrant. The suspect showed the victim a fake lottery ticket which depicted the winning lottery numbers for a previous draw and offered to sell the ticket to the victim.
A second male suspect then approached them, pretended not to know the first suspect, and offered to help. The two suspects then allegedly convinced the victim to purchase the fake lottery ticket and assisted the victim to withdraw money from the bank to complete the sale.
The first male suspect was described as approximately 50 years old, with short white hair and spoke English poorly. The second male suspect was described as approximately 50 years old, with short black hair and spoke English well. The two suspects are believed to be associated to a woman. All three suspects are depicted in the photo.
“The Richmond RCMP appreciates any information the public can provide about these suspects. We feel the suspects may have committed similar frauds in the past,“ said Cpl. Marco Sallinen of the Richmond RCMP Economic Crimes Unit. “Please be cautious if anyone ever attempts to offer or sell you something of great value for a seemingly incredible deal. When possible have the item independently examined or tested, and consider involving legal counsel to complete the transaction.”
If you have been the victim of a crime committed by these suspects, or can provide information to assist this investigation, contact Sallinen at Richmond RCMP at 604-278-1212. Should you wish to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers by phone at 1-800-222-TIPS(8477).