A PERSON claimed to be the winner of the largest lottery prize ever given in British Columbia. An investigation into the claim led to a scam on social media.
Christine Lauzon actually won $70million in the lottery back in October, however, a Facebook page under her name promised to send out money to people in need.
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A person had assumed the identity of Christine Lauzon, who won $70million in the British Columbia lotto and attempted to scam people out of their money Credit: Getty 4
A woman in Fiji nearly fell to the scheme went she sought help to have her roof repaired because of rainwater getting inside her house Credit: AFP or licensors
An investigation into the situation resulted in the British Columbia Lottery Corporation reaching out to Lauzon, who confirmed that the account using her name and photo was fake.
A post on the fake page claimed that they had “voluntarily decided to help people financially,”
One woman in Fiji responded to the post asking for $1,000 to fix her roof. She asked to not be identified to protect her privacy.
“When there’s heavy rain, the water always enters the house. Like half the house it enters inside,” the woman said.
The scammer offered to send the woman $100,000 if she sent $300 in Bitcoin first. The potential victim was attempting to raise the money when she was contacted by CTV News, who told her that it was a scam.
“I was really happy because nobody has ever offered me that amount of money before,” she said, saying the thought of receiving that much money would be life-changing
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The BCLC said it is “unfortunate” that someone would target an individual in that way.
“BCLC cares deeply about our players and we encourage them to contact us if they have any questions or concerns. Where there is suspected criminal activity, we advise them to contact police.”
Once Facebook was contacted about the incident, immediate action was taken.
“Thanks for reaching out. Upon review of this account, we’ve removed it for violating our Community Standards for misrepresentation,” Facebook said in a statement.
Travis Shawcross, CEO of Pioneer Health Care in Ontario, heard about the almost scam and wanted to help the woman in Fiji, who still didn’t have money for her house repairs.
“I said, ‘Well, you know, it’s a thousand bus. If that’s going to fix her roof and she’s going to be happy, I’ll be more than happy to do it.’ So, that’s what I did,” he said.
The woman was grateful for Shawcross’s donation, saying that the money will be put towards the upgrades to her home.
“He helped me. He already sent me the money. A thousand dollars to help rebuild my house,” the woman said. “And I’m so glad and happy for Travis’s help.”
Shawcross said he can relate to the feeling of needing a little help, which is why he decided to help a complete stranger on the other side of the world.
“I’ve had nothing before. I know what it’s like to have nothing. In 2005, I was in a shelter in Surrey. I lived there for a month because I had nothing and I was trying to get back on my feet,” he said.
“Through whatever decisions I’ve made over the last 18 years, I’ve become successful. I’ve been very blessed and now it’s time for me to give back.”
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The woman was contacted by a Canadian news outlet, who informed her that it was a scam Credit: AFP 4
Travis Shawcross, CEO of Pioneer Health Care in Ontario, heard about the incident and offered to help pay the woman to fix her roof Credit: Getty
Christine Lauzon wins $70m Lotto Max jackpot