East Lothian Courier | News | Woman, 93, target of scam

Thursday, 28th August, 2008

Published: Thursday, 5th June, 2008 08:05

Woman, 93, target of scam

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RELATIVES and carers of the elderly were this week urged to be on their guard, after a resident of Fa’side Lodge, suffering from dementia, was targeted in a lottery scam.

Staff at the residential home in Church Street, were appalled when the 93-year-old woman received a notice informing her that she’d won 815,510 euros.

The notorious El Gordo Spanish Sweepstake Lottery mailing scam urges the recipient to submit their bank account details to a security company in Madrid, in order to collect their ‘prize’.

Luckily, the resident in question was being supervised by a member of staff while opening her mail and did not act on the letter – which had been specifically addressed to her – but the incident has provoked a wave of concern that the counterfeit lottery could be circulated to other elderly people in Tranent.

Fa’side Lodge assistant manager, Jackie Cochrane branded the hoax “disgusting”.

“This is the only letter that we know of at this stage but it is very likely there have been other residents who have received something like this and have perhaps notified their families instead of staff,” she said. “We have a few residents that having received this letter might have followed it through.

“I was really angry and shocked and want other people in East Lothian to know about this.”

In an effort to prevent others falling victim to the bogus sweepstake, Jackie has urged relatives and carers of “vulnerable” elderly people to be on their guard.

Tranent and Elphinstone Community Council chairman Raymond Strang told the Courier: “We’ve got to thank Jackie Cochrane for raising awareness in the area that there seems to be some sort of scam circulating in the town just now.

“It is important to bear in mind that it’s not just people in nursing homes who can be taken advantage of like this – we have to think about people who are cared for at home as well.”

Elected councillors have also added their voices to Fa’side Lodge’s warning.

Fa’side councillor Donald Grant said: “Obviously I’m concerned that this sort of thing is going on. And I’m really concerned that it would appear to be targeting older people who are vulnerable.”

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