Gran wins £300,000 and finds out she had been duped

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A fake lottery company tried to scam a Birmingham gran out of £1,500 after telling her she had won £300,000. Lynda Thomas of Birmingham received a letter stating she had won £300,000 but need to hand over £1,450 first.

Lynda, 68, from West Heath, said she was thrilled to open the letter congratulating her on hitting the jackpot from ‘The Health Lottery.’ However, she soon realized it was a scam when she made contact with the organization to claim her winning. She was instructed to hand over all her bank details and pay £1,450 to ensure her victory. Meanwhile, Lynda refused to do so and instead ask travelling to London to collect her cheque in person. However, they said that this is not possible.

Lynda is a regular Health Lottery player. Hence, she cross-checked her player’s ID card with references on the card. The numbers didn’t match and she realized that it is a scam. Lynda added, “The letter came through the letter box on Tuesday morning.” The letter stated that “you’ve been entered into a special draw of unclaimed prizes” and “had won £300,000.” She couldn’t believe it and read it three times.

However, the poor English used raised Lynda’s suspicion as it didn’t flow correctly. She called the Lotto Company despite her suspicions. She said, “I saw their office was in Canary Wharf and suggested I can come to collect the cheque in person.” But, they said that it is not possible. Lynda added, “Then bells started ringing – I wasn’t born yesterday.”

She then contacted the Nation Health Lottery and they confirmed it was a scam. A spokesperson of the Health Lottery stated, “The Health Lottery is aware that this letter has been circulating and has reported the matter to Action Fraud UK.” He added that the Health Lottery would never send a letter to inform people about their winning. One can visit the Health Lottery website to find out about making claims.