SIBU: Scammers have been making use of fake Toto lottery winnings as bait to trick the public into falling victim to their scheme and losing money.
Sibu MP Oscar Ling Chai Yew held a press conference at his service centre on Friday (April 19), accompanied by Sports Toto Sibu area sales executive Hayden Pau, saying that he had received enquiries from the public about the procedures for winning and claiming prizes.
He disclosed that a member of the public asked him if there was such a procedure, that is, to receive the winning money of RM600,000, he had to pay RM30,000.
“Since I did not know much about it, I have called Pau to find out the situation. After she sorted out the ins and outs of the matter, I realised that it was a scam.”
Pau said that Sports Toto does not have a procedure for receiving winning money through outsiders.
She also pointed out that if encounter similar scams, victims are encouraged to report the case to the police.
She advised the public that if they win a prize, they can go to the Sibu office to claim the prize.
“If the amount is small, they can claim it at the sales agency. If the prize is a large amount, you need to go to the Kuala Lumpur headquarters to claim the prize.
“Winners can go to the Sibu office for consultation, and they will also provide information about going to the Kuala Lumpur headquarters to claim the prize.
“In addition, the public can also go to the official website of Sports Toto to view prize claiming information,” Pau added.
Meanwhile, Ling said that when he told the relevant person that it was a scam, the person initially insisted that he had bought the number, but finally admitted that he had not.
He said this may be a trick of the scammer, asking the victim not to tell others about buying lottery tickets.
