Prince George RCMP are advising residents to be wary of “too good to be true” lottery announcements that may show up in their regular mail or email.

RCMP are receiving ongoing complaints and questions about lottery scams, including a recent one called the Grand Slam, which appears to originate in Australia. Several other lottery scams originating from Spain have also shown up.

These fraudulent lotteries ask residents to either send money or allow monies to be withdrawn from their bank account. This payment is sometimes referred to as an “acceptance fee”. RCMP caution that being asked to send money first for a lottery winning is a fairly reliable indicator of fraud.

These mailing may also have realistic looking post dated cheques, which will bounce if someone tries to deposit them, say RCMP.