Peel police charge woman in relation to lottery scam allegedly targeting elderly victims

Police have arrested a woman from Toronto, charging her in relation to an alleged lottery scam that ran for six months in 2022.

Peel Regional Police, the force that made the arrest, said the scam targeted elderly people from Alberta and Manitoba, with cash sent to a Mississauga address.

The woman received around $50,000 from multiple elderly victims, police alleged.

Investigators believe the scam involved contacting elderly people and telling them they had won the lottery but, in order to claim their prize, suggesting they would have to pay a fee.

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The victims were reportedly told to send cash and gifts cards by mail to a Mississauga home. Some were also told to send bank transfers, police said.

Peel police charged a 27-year-old woman from Toronto with defrauding the public over $50,000 and two counts of possession of property obtained by crime.

The investigation concluded on Monday, police said.