Scott Gurney, a Canadian lottery winner, has confirmed that a scammer impersonating him on Facebook is swindling unsuspecting victims out of their bitcoins. To combat this scammer, Gurney said he stopped accepting and sending friend requests on the social networking platform.
Too Good to Be True”
Canadian Lotto Max jackpot winner Scott Gurney reportedly said that individuals using his name to ask social media users to donate bitcoin were likely scammers, winning $55 million. Gurney confirmed that one individual told him that he had lost $300 worth of bitcoin to a scammer impersonating a lottery winner.
To lure victims, scammers reportedly used fake Facebook accounts to show Gurney holding a lottery check; according to a Times Colonist report, one person told one of the fake accounts After making contact, he lost $450 worth of bitcoins. However, in a message to those who accept the promises of scammers, Gurney said they should be wary of offers that are too good to be true. He added:
It’s unfortunate that some people are not so lucky and are looking for such avenues, but I don’t think many people give away cash easily.
It was also revealed that some of the fake Facebook accounts went so far as to discredit other accounts. However, to combat the scammers’ tactics, Gurney, a financial advisor, said he would stop accepting and sending friend requests on Facebook.
Meanwhile, the British Columbia Lottery Corporation, which gave Gurney a check for $55 million, issued a statement saying to beware of solicitation messages asking for personal information.
“Anyone receiving unsolicited messages of any kind should be cautious and not reveal any personal information or make any financial payments,” the Canadian Crown Corporation warned.
The lottery company also urged recipients to report such unsolicited messages to the Canadian Fraud Prevention Centre.
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