Police are warning the public after two seniors from Uxbridge were defrauded of their life savings.

An elderly couple was lead to believe they won the jackpot in a United States lottery have lost $1.2 million through the scam.

“After losing their life savings they turned to a family friend requesting a loan of $130,000. It was that friend that contacted police,” reads a media release from police.

Residents are reminded to consider the following when you are contacted as a lottery winner:

• Ask yourself, “When did I buy a ticket or when did I enter the lottery?”
• Most lotteries require you to be a resident of the province, state and/ or country to collect the winnings i.e. generally speaking a resident of Ontario cannot collect on a lottery based in the United States, the United Kingdom, etc.
• In Canada, it is illegal to charge a fee, tax, etc. associated to the winning i.e. if you win $1,000.00 you have won $1,000.00, no service fee, no insurance fee, no clearance fee, etc.
• If you are uncertain about the validity of a lottery you can contact the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario and/ or the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre to confirm

And remember if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.