Phone scam sounded ‘too good to be true’: Okotoks resident

An accountant from Okotoks has a informing for Albertans astir a caller cellphone scam pretending to beryllium from STARS Air Ambulance.

Brian Fea says helium got a telephone past Thursday, Oct. 31, telling him helium was the victor of a gully for $500,000.

As idiosyncratic who likes to bargain tickets, helium says helium was interested, but realized the prizes are usually handed retired astatine the extremity of March, not successful mid-November.

“That’s 1 of those too-good-to-be-true calls,” said Fea.  “Your antenna goes up already.”

Fea says the caller asked him if helium had a pen and insubstantial truthful they could speech the winning number, interaction names and numbers and different information.

That’s erstwhile helium noticed the caller ID connected the telephone was spelled S-T-A-R-Z, alternatively of ending with an ‘S’.

Then the caller asked for his banking accusation truthful helium could supply it to Revenue Canada.

“He said the prize cheque is from RBC (Royal Bank of Canada) and helium wanted to cognize what banking instauration I woody with,” said Fea.

“He’s trying to person maine that this has to beryllium registered with CRA and that it costs $400. to bash the registration and helium wanted maine to springiness him a Paypal relationship oregon recognition paper relationship to marque this payment,” adds Fea.

“I said determination is nary mode I’m giving you a recognition paper fig implicit the telephone — and ‘click’ — helium hung up close away.”

Half an hr aboriginal Fea says helium got a akin telephone from the aforesaid feline connected his bureau telephone enactment downstairs.

“They are truly trying to drawback you disconnected defender and earlier you cognize it you’ve fixed retired accusation that you shouldn’t, truthful you truly request to beryllium careful,” says Fea.

When contacted by Global News astir the scam, STARS Air Ambulance says the enactment and its fashionable lottery person been utilized by scammers for years, with an summation usually astir the vacation season.

STARS says portion they bash interaction immoderate of their expansive prize winners by phone, they would ne'er inquire for delicate accusation similar banking — and surely would not inquire for wealth — for idiosyncratic to assertion a prize.