The National Lottery Authority (NLA) in collaboration with the Volta Regional Police Command have arrested four lotto fraudsters in the Volta Region.
The alleged lotto fraudsters are Godwin Agbenyefia alias Demon,19, Reuben Abusah, alias Last Burial, 20, Kelvin Kwame Abouzi, alias Kartel, 20 and Kingsley Adelekey, 21.
The suspects operated from Akatsi and Ho in the Volta Region, according to police sources.
The circuit court in Ho presided over by His Honor, Felix Datsomor, has remanded the suspects in police custody to re-appear on September 23.
The lotto fraudsters created several Facebook accounts, Whatsapp platforms and other social media platforms using the logo and pictures of staff of the NLA for their operations
“It is very sad that these lotto fraudsters are able to convince people who want to be rich overnight to make mobile money transfers to them in exchange for fake winning lotto numbers,” a statement from the NLA said.
According to the statement, the lotto fraudsters receive various sums of money from their victims in order to stake lotto numbers for them.
It said after the draw of the lotto numbers by the NLA, the lotto fraudsters send photographs of fake winning coupons to their victims suggesting that they have won the lottery.
“The lotto fraudsters then demand 20-40% of the amount of money they claim the victims had won before NLA would pay their winning tickets. Subsequently, after the victims pay the lotto fraudsters with the percentage of the fake winning prize, the fraudsters then quickly block the phone calls of their victims and vanish”
“Sometimes, the lotto fraudsters manage to convince their victims to send money for registration to qualify for the leaked winning numbers” it said.
The statement said the NLA has not designed any registration forms for the public to register for winning lotto numbers.
The outcome of lotto draws are conducted in an open and transparent manner and the draw is open to the general public for witnessing daily, except Sundays and public holidays, it said
The statement therefore denied claims that people at the authority have access to winning lotto numbers.
While commending the Volta Regional police for the successful apprehension of the suspects, it said the NLA would continue to collaborate with the Police and other relevant security agencies to arrest the lotto fraudsters across the cuntry.
“However, it is the responsibility of the public to be more vigilant and discontinue engaging the services of the lotto fraudsters”.
“Lotto is a game of chance and it is impossible to foretell winning numbers before draws,” the statement said.
By Times Reporter
