Remember ME - You Me and Dementia

June 18, 2009

AUSTRIA: Pensioner loses fortune in lottery fraud

. SALZBURG, Austria / The Austrian Times / June 18, 2009 By Thomas Hochwarter A naïve pensioner lost almost 230,000 Euros after being told he had won a lottery – although he had never played in one. © europics.at It emerged yesterday (Weds) that the 61-year-old from Wagrain in the province of Salzburg had transferred 229,731 Euros for "administrative expenses" and taxes to a fake company called "Loteria Primitiva, International Lotto Commission, Madrid." The conmen wrote to the man, telling him he had won more than 600,000 Euros and the requested sum was needed before he could receive the money. The pensioner became suspicious after not getting anything back after a few transactions and stopped transferring any more money. But he started doing so again after being told the jackpot he had won had suddenly become worth 1.4 million Euros because of successful investment funds. The Austrian and Spanish police have started an investigation of the case. [rc] Source: Austrian Times