A Surrey man who recently won two lotteries is having his name used as part of an international scam.
In April, Harry Black, 66, won Lotto 649 with two winning tickets worth a total of $31.7 million.
The part-time film industry worker and self-proclaimed workaholic said he wouldn't quit his job, but would likely take a holiday, which he's never done.
Now his name is being used to chisel people out of their hard-earned savings.
Virginia resident Michelle Gantzer told CTV News she was emailed by a man who claimed to represent Black.
Gantzer was told Black had picked a handful of lucky strangers to share his fortune with. She was told she was chosen to receive $2 million, as long as she donated some of the money.
“Of course I thought it was a scam, but my curiosity was up so I went along with it,” Gantzer told CTV.
She played along until he asked her for her social security number or a cash deposit. Then she was asked to provide a $450 deposit to open up an account for her $2 million.
She declined.
The Better Business Bureau says the scam is particularly clever because it uses the real name of a real lottery winner and an actual bank in the United Kingdom.
BBB spokesman Mark Fernandes said advance-fee scammers were still using the couple’s name as recently as March.
Anyone who believes they’re being targeted by scammers is advised to contact the Better Business Bureau and police.
~with files from CTV News