SINGAPORE : Police are alerting the public to a new variation of the lucky draw scam which has surfaced in the past month.
In a typical lucky draw scam, victims would receive calls or emails informing them of lottery wins.
In the new scam, victims receive brochures allegedly issued by the Hong Kong Tourism Board.
The brochures have a scratch-off label containing a lucky draw code of
"HK6888" which supposedly entitles them to the top prize of HK$500,000.
Victims are instructed to call a Hong Kong number listed in the brochure to claim their winnings.
Upon calling, they are then told to make payments for the prize to be released.
Only after making several payments without receiving any winnings, do the victims realise it is a scam.
Police say the Hong Kong Tourism Board does not conduct any lottery advertising activity by telephone or mail.
They also advise the public not to respond to such materials and report them if any are received.
- CNA/ms