Caledon woman arrested for fake prize scam

A 53-year-old woman has been charged following a joint fraud investigation by Ontario Provincial Police (OPP).

Earlier this year, a victim reported to police they had received a phone call from someone claiming they had won a multimillion dollar prize.

The scammer told the victim to pay a fee in order for the prize to be claimed.

The victim complied, but contacted police when the caller reached out a second time asking for more money.

Donna Gordon-Allen, of Caledon, has been charged with fraud over $5,000.

Caledon OPP has provided the following tips to help people recognize a lottery or prize scam.

• Never send money to anybody you don’t know and trust.
• Don’t provide personal banking details to anyone that you do not know and trust
• Any lottery or sweepstakes requiring upfront fees is a scam.
• If you didn’t enter a contest, you didn’t win – no matter what you may be told.
• If congratulations come with a cheque – with instructions to deposit it and send a portion back – the cheque is fake.