Provincial police continue to investigate an attempted fraud that nearly cost a Hensall resident thousands of dollars.
Police were notified last week by a local bank manager that one of their clients almost became a victim of a lottery scam.
A woman in her 80s reported to police she received a call from a man claiming that she had won a large lottery prize. In order to claim her lottery winnings, she was advised that she had to pay an upfront fee.
The woman was directed to send a cheque for $7,500 to an address in Winnipeg. The victim followed through and sent the cheque.
The scammer called back a second time and requested another cheque for $22,500 be sent to the same address. Once again the victim followed the scammer's instructions and sent off another certified cheque.
An alert bank employee sensed something was wrong and inquired about the unusual transactions the client was making.
The scam was detected and the two cheques that were sent were cancelled prior to their arrival.
Huron OPP is warning all residents that if you receive a call from an unknown person indicating that you have won any type of lottery, new vehicle, or exotic vacation you should hang up the phone because this is a scam.