By Canadian Press

Elderly woman loses $250-thousand in telemarketing scam

Jan 21, 2019 | 11:06 AM

Police in Lethbridge, Alberta say an 81-year-old woman has lost 250-thousand dollars in a telemarketing scam.

Investigators say the senior contacted scammers after getting a letter that said she had won a U-S sweepstakes and would have to pay state and other taxes and insure the money.

She then got hundreds of phone calls from people who said they were from the Canada Revenue Agency and Canadian taxes were owed.

Police are investigating and warn that as tax season ramps up, people should be aware that calls from scammers will increase.