Montego Bay lottery scam in Connecticut

The Connecticut police in the United States have linked a lottery scam targeting several residents in Danbury to violent Jamaican gangs.



Investigators say over the past few weeks, at least three people received telephone calls advising them that they had won a $US2.5 million lottery jackpot.



The residents were reportedly told that all they had to do to claim their prizes was to pay $US499 dollars in Connecticut state taxes.



The Danbury-based News Times quotes Detective Bruce Bertram as saying that Jamaica is having severe civil unrest, and the money is being used to buy weapons for the gangs.



The newspaper further notes that law enforcement officials in Jamaica say the scammers are raking in thousands of dollars a week, and the money is being used to purchase expensive, high-powered weapons that have contributed to the violence.



A Danbury couple that was targeted by the scammers reportedly phoned back for more information before contacting the police.



The police say they traced the number to a location near Montego Bay, St James, where the operation is believed to be centred.



Recently local police revealed that lottery scammers who operated out of St. James had reportedly moved their operations to other Caribbean islands because of increased pressures from the authorities here.



The police said that intelligence revealed that several suspected lottery scammers were travelling across the region to collect money transferred to them by unsuspecting victims.



The scam, which came to light in 2006, is operated by persons who illicitly obtain personal information on American citizens