Estevan police advise public of illegitimate STARS phone calls asking for money

Estevan police departments are compiling complaints from residents who say they recently received illegitimate phone calls on the behalf of STARS asking them for money.

Both the Estevan Police Service and Estevan RCMP said multiple people have had phone calls in which they were told their names had been selected in the organization’s calendar draw.

Police say the callers asked for personal information and about $1,000 to access the winnings, which included prize money and a new van.

“STARS is a very positive thing and for people to be taking advantage of that positive name, it’s concerning,” said Sgt. Jeff Clarke, Estevan RCMP.

Clarke said it isn’t easy to follow up with these types of phone calls because oftentimes the numbers used and names given aren’t real.

He reminds people to be aware of these types of situations and to hold back on providing personal information.

“If you haven’t entered into any draws and didn’t buy a ticket, you’re not going to win, right?” Clarke said.

“Even if you do enter the draw, people are already going to have your information from the ticket and they’re not going to require any more information from you. Be leery about what you give out on the phone.”

Estevan police said it’s not the first time residents have received these types of calls and that it won’t be the last.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if we ended up getting more calls on that. There’s always something going around, whether it’s STARS or something else,” said Const. Braden Lonsberry, Estevan Police Service.

STARS told Global News on Tuesday that no one would ever be asked to send money to claim a STARS calendar draw prize.

0:31 STARS air ambulance soaring above the Prairies

If there are any doubts, STARS said to contact them directly for verification.

“Unfortunately, scams like this one are not new, however this is the first we’ve heard of a fraud attempt in the name of our STARS Calendar,” STARS said.

“Our calendar draws have been happening monthly, with the grand prize draw taking place on March 5, 2021.”

STARS advises people to continue to contact the police after receiving a fraudulent phone call.