Leon Davis, B.C. SPCA Nanaimo branch manager, is warning the public not to buy phony raffle tickets being sold door-to-door in Nanaimo.
The tickets, bearing ticket numbers, a B.C. SPCA logo and list of prizes that include a Samsung smart TV, supermarket gift certificate and Bluetooth speaker system have been sold to at least a couple of people, according to Davis.
He said he became aware of the scam Monday when a woman contacted him after she’d bought some tickets.
“I got a couple of e-mails and calls to say that they had purchased tickets from a couple of young guys that looked a little scruffy and they were concerned that they weren’t real,” Davis said.
He doesn’t know how many tickets had been sold, but was aware of at least two sales that were made in the Cedar area.
He said he has only seen phony SPCA raffle ticket scams a couple of times and he is more worried about someone using the ruse to gain entry into a victim’s home.
“These kind of scams can be not just for money, but trying to get you to open your door and all of a sudden you’re standing there with God knows who,” Davis said. “It’s really frustrating that someone is taking advantage of people’s goodwill and our supporters.”
Sgt. Sheryl Armstrong, Nanaimo RCMP spokeswoman, said in an e-mail Tuesday that she was not aware of any formal complaints made to the police about the tickets.