Six charged in alleged lottery scams across five towns in Alberta
RCMP in southern Alberta have charged six people in connection to an alleged scam involving the purchase of Sports Select and Keno lottery items.
RCMP Southern Alberta District Crime Reduction Unit (SAD CRU), along with Raymond RCMP and the Western Canada Lottery Corporation, took over a crime series involving a technique called the “Manual Entry Transaction Fraud.”
The crime series targeted small business convenience stores between December 31, 2023 and February 26, 2024.
Mounties said in a news release that the manual entry credit card scam occurs when suspect(s) enter the retailer and request $5,000.00 in Sports Select and $1,000.00 in Keno, the maximum sales limit in a 24-hour period.
Suspect(s) will then request credit card payment and see if the terminal allows manual entry. If it does, they enter a memorized Mastercard credit card number that does not match the card entered. The transaction will go through as approved, but since the actual credit card is not present at the time of purchase in the machine itself, the bank will (upon notification of the cardholder dispute) reverse the charges and charge back to the retailer.
Police said this does not happen right away and can take several weeks. Suspect(s), upon realizing that the retailer’s terminal will allow for manual entry, will purchase additional prepaid credit cards and gift cards along with scratch-and-win tickets.
“Most retailers have admitted that the transactions seemed unusual but proceeded to sell to the suspect(s) until a call is placed by the Western Canada Lottery Corporation to the retailer to inquire on the payment made on these purchases,” the news release added.
On March 19, 2024, SAD CRU executed a search warrant in the 2000 block of 34 Street SW, Calgary. The investigation resulted in the following charges for offences that occurred in Raymond, Lethbridge, Vegreville, Two Hills, and Sundre.
Jay Obrador and Maynard Go Recibio, both residents of Calgary, were charged with:
- Fraud over $5,000
- Possess or traffic in credit card data
- Laundering proceeds of crime
Melody Velasquez, Jessica Nyome Vinje, Angelo Ross Diaz, and Rommel Manansala Togado, all residents of Calgary, were charged with:
- Fraud over $5,000
- Possess or traffic in credit card data
Jay Obrador will appear in the Alberta Court of Justice in Lethbridge on April 24, 2024. The five other accused are currently on warrant status.
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