‘It’s concerning’: Scam targets STARS lottery ticket holders, again

WATCH: A charity supporting Saskatchewan's air ambulance is warning about a scam targeting its annual fundraiser.

A long-time charity in Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba is warning customers about a scam targeting their annual fundraiser.

Being called by scammers is nothing new these days. But STARS — Western Canada’s Air Ambulance provider — is again warning potential supporters to be on the lookout for a scam targeting their ticket holders.

Tiffany Flynn is the vice president of brand and revenue generation for STARS. She says the scam, which cropped up during previous years’ campaigns as well, is damaging to the organization and customer trust.

“It’s concerning for us. We want to make sure that our supporters feel secure in supporting STARS and we want them to know that their data is safe and that their information is safe.”

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Flynn says the annual lottery brings in a third of the $12 million dollars needed to run air ambulance helicopters in each of the bases in Saskatoon and Regina. That money pays for staffing, like doctors, nurses and pilots.

“It is incredibly impactful to us, and the support really does matter,” she said.

The head of the economic crime unit with the Saskatoon police confirms this type of prize or lotto scam is not uncommon.

“STARS has always been used, since my time in the unit. It kind of comes and goes every year usually. Obviously when those lotteries take place, you’ll see a spike,” Staff Sergeant Matthew Bradford told CTV News.

One of the ways the current scam is being run is scammers call random numbers, usually from outside of Saskatchewan or Canada, according to Bradford.

They then ask if the person who answers has received their STARS tickets in the mail. If they say yes, then the scammer has identified a target, moving on to ask them to purchase a gift card to have the winning vehicle prize sent to their house. The rationale is to pay for the tow truck to deliver it.

Flynn says, being asked for anything in exchange for the prize isn’t part of STARS Lottery.

“We will never ask for your Visa card or any sort of information to claim your prize. Please keep an eye out if you see any of that messaging or if someone reaches out to you,” she said.

Flynn assures the public their database has not been breached and the scam calls are random.

“They would have no access to our database. They would have no access to our information. That is all private, secure.”

Police suggest reporting to them if you receive a suspicious call. Once you fall for this scam, though, police say there’s little they can do.

“That’s why they use the gift card variation, because it’s virtually impossible to trace once the code has been provided to the bad guys,” Bradford says.