*San Francisco Police Warn Chinese Community of Lottery Scam

Published by Junior Staff Writer on May 15, 2009

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San Francisco police today warned the Chinese community about a telephone lottery scam in which one woman was recently swindled out of $100,000. According to police, a caller speaking in Chinese informs residents they have won a $2 million lottery, but they need to first send money for taxes, to be wired to a Hong Kong bank account. Between March and May, a 57-year-old San Francisco woman was scammed out of $100,000, repeatedly wiring increasing amounts after several phone calls. She never received any money. Another person was called on May 14 and asked for a bank account number and password so the winnings could be deposited into the account. That person refused to comply and called police. Police said anyone who receives a similar kind of phone call should not agree to any request for money or personal information, and should make a police report at their district station. Anyone with questions should call the police department’s fraud unit at (415) 553-1521.