A new scam that sends the victim a personalized cheque for fake lotto winnings is a combination of many old ploys, according to the B.C. Crime Prevention Society.

Pat Briggs learned firsthand about the scam recently.  She received a letter in the mail that sounded like it would be the answer to anyone's dreams.

"[It was] from the Queens Swiss Lottery saying I had won $250,000 US," Briggs said.  

A cheque was in the letter for $1,895 -- $500 for Pat Briggs to keep and $1,395 that she was to send back to cover expenses like insurance and handling fees. She said it looked genuine.

"Well, they are sending me money, so this must be legitimate," she said.

"I didn't have to pay anything out of my pocket -- that's the scams I've heard of before,"

But Pat still suspected it was a scam and she was right. After doing some research on line she discovered the phone number was a cell number, the addresses in Toronto were wrong and the cheque was stolen.

Val MacLean of the B.C. Crime Prevention Society says this scam combines elements of many popular ploys.

"They've taken bits and pieces of all the scams out there and combined them into one," Briggs said.

"You're not out any money and that's the hook at this point."

The letter is cleverly written, openly mentioning words like fraud and scam. It says: "You've probably heard a thousand times that you have won the lottery and all you have to do is send money right? Luckily this is different from those scammers because this is 100% genuine. We even give you a bonus upfront payment."

MacLean says you have to be wary of any offer that asks you to send money.

"Different variations come out but it's so obvious usually because of the fact they are asking you to send some of the cheque back," she explains.

Despite of all the publicity about scams, more of us are falling victim:

  • In 2007, 4,500 Canadians lost a total of $19 million in similar mass marketing scams.
  • In 2008, there were 5,900 victims and $24 million in losses.
  • In 2009, we are on target for almost 8,000 victims.

And the real number could be 10 times higher.

"Certainly fraud is drastically under reported because of the embarrassment factor," MacLean said.

And while Pat wasn't taken in, she's really worried about others.

"I started thinking about how hard this must be for elderly or retirees or anyone that would look at that and think this is a legitimate cheque and I'm going to go and cash it," she said.

If you get a letter or email you are not sure is legitimate, contact the B.C. Crime Prevention Society.

With a report from CTV British Columbia's Chris Olsen