• Business
  • Life
  • Celebrity
  • Sport
  • Blog
  • Auto
  • Tech
Stories from SWNS
Advertisement
  • Home
  • News
    5 Interesting facts about online casinos

    5 Interesting facts about online casinos

    Curses of Cousins by Cliff Bacchus

    Curses of Cousins by Cliff Bacchus

    Operation Bluebird by Harry Old

    Operation Bluebird by Harry Old

    Family miraculously survive huge gas explosion

    Family miraculously survive huge gas explosion

    Deputy Chief Medical Officer’s elderly mum receives her first dose of Covid vaccination

    Deputy Chief Medical Officer’s elderly mum receives her first dose of Covid vaccination

    FOOL’S GOLD: Poetry and Postcards

    FOOL’S GOLD: Poetry and Postcards

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Business
  • Life
    • Celebrity
  • Tech
    Spending More Time Online? How to Make the Most of Your Time

    Spending More Time Online? How to Make the Most of Your Time

    Why Now More Than Ever Healthcare Needs To Go Digital

    Why Now More Than Ever Healthcare Needs To Go Digital

    The Impacts of Technology in the Casino Sector

    The Impacts of Technology in the Casino Sector

    How IoT Is Shaping The Various Aspects Of The Healthcare Industry?

    How IoT Is Shaping The Various Aspects Of The Healthcare Industry?

    How Can Robots Take Their Place in Casinos?

    How Can Robots Take Their Place in Casinos?

    Three Elearning Trends That Point To The Importance Of Mobile Learning Solutions

    Three Elearning Trends That Point To The Importance Of Mobile Learning Solutions

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
  • Review

    The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild gameplay on the Nintendo Switch

    Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun Review

    macOS Sierra review: Mac users get a modest update this year

    Hands on: Samsung Galaxy A5 2017 review

    The Last Guardian Playstation 4 Game review

    Intel Core i7-7700K ‘Kaby Lake’ review

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    5 Interesting facts about online casinos

    5 Interesting facts about online casinos

    Curses of Cousins by Cliff Bacchus

    Curses of Cousins by Cliff Bacchus

    Operation Bluebird by Harry Old

    Operation Bluebird by Harry Old

    Family miraculously survive huge gas explosion

    Family miraculously survive huge gas explosion

    Deputy Chief Medical Officer’s elderly mum receives her first dose of Covid vaccination

    Deputy Chief Medical Officer’s elderly mum receives her first dose of Covid vaccination

    FOOL’S GOLD: Poetry and Postcards

    FOOL’S GOLD: Poetry and Postcards

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Business
  • Life
    • Celebrity
  • Tech
    Spending More Time Online? How to Make the Most of Your Time

    Spending More Time Online? How to Make the Most of Your Time

    Why Now More Than Ever Healthcare Needs To Go Digital

    Why Now More Than Ever Healthcare Needs To Go Digital

    The Impacts of Technology in the Casino Sector

    The Impacts of Technology in the Casino Sector

    How IoT Is Shaping The Various Aspects Of The Healthcare Industry?

    How IoT Is Shaping The Various Aspects Of The Healthcare Industry?

    How Can Robots Take Their Place in Casinos?

    How Can Robots Take Their Place in Casinos?

    Three Elearning Trends That Point To The Importance Of Mobile Learning Solutions

    Three Elearning Trends That Point To The Importance Of Mobile Learning Solutions

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
  • Review

    The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild gameplay on the Nintendo Switch

    Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun Review

    macOS Sierra review: Mac users get a modest update this year

    Hands on: Samsung Galaxy A5 2017 review

    The Last Guardian Playstation 4 Game review

    Intel Core i7-7700K ‘Kaby Lake’ review

No Result
View All Result
Stories from SWNS
No Result
View All Result
Home News

Deaf man conned out of life savings in shocking Facebook ‘Deaf Lottery’ fraud

by
May 18, 2010
in News
3
0
SHARES
6
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

A deaf man handed over £26,000 life savings after fraudsters targeted him on Facebook and convinced him he’d won the ”deaf lottery”

Devastated Kenneth Newman, 50, empted his bank accounts, took out six loans and even re-mortgaged his home after conmen told him he’d scooped £600,000.

Kenneth was born deaf and uses Facebook to keep in touch with his friends without the need for an interpreter.

But thieves identified him as a vulnerable target and used the social networking site to contact him and tell him he’d won £600,000 in a special deaf lottery.

He was then told to pay “government fees” before he could collect his winnings and first handed over a cheque for £300.

But the gang convinced him he needed to give more money to claim the prize and he took out six bank loans and remortgaged his home.

The crooks even hacked into his Facebook site so it looked like he was telling his deaf friends he had won a lottery – and encouraging them to join.

Kenneth, a hospital technician of Plymouth, Devon, is now being forced to sell his flat to pay back the £26,000 he gave away.

Speaking through an interpreter, he said: “I want to warn people, both deaf and hearing, not to be taken in by these scams. Say no to them, don’t contact them and remove them from your Facebook page.

“About £26K is gone from six loans. My flat has been remortgaged and I now have to sell my flat. I hope I will be able to find another place.

“For the last three months, it was hell. I’m doing better now, thanks to the support of my friends, but it will take me years to pay off these debts.”

The scam started in January when a woman calling herself Sandra Owen befriended Kenneth on Facebook claiming she was deaf and had won £1.2million on the “United Nations Deaf Lottery”.

She then forwarded Kenneth the email address of the supposed lottery organiser, Harry Thomas, who then contacted him.

Kenneth passed on his bank account details and was told he had won £600,000 and was urged to forward £300 via Western Union to an address in Lagos, Nigeria.

But he was then told he needed to find around £30,000 for ”government fees” before he could receive his full winnings.

Kenneth took out a number of loans, secured against his flat, but ”Harry” would text him each time explaining he needed more and concocting various stories.

The scam was only discovered after Kenneth went to his bank for a meeting about life insurance and staff asked him what he’d spent the money on.

PC Michael Loveys said police investigators are trying to track down the crooks but there was ”little hope” of retrieving the money.

He said: “He has been sucked in by these people and they went on to try and target friends of his. What is most appalling is that these criminals are specifically targeting vulnerable people.

“There’s no such thing as a deaf and disabled lottery. there are a number of scams like this out there. Lots and lots of people have been scammed, but if you haven’t entered a lottery, then you haven’t won.”

Kenneth’s friend, and British Sign Language interpreter Helen Doyle, added: “We keep telling Kenneth to stay positive. If I wasn’t here, I think he would be gone by now.

“Kenneth wants to warn others, to save them the same fate. He hopes he can save others by revealing what happened to him.”

Previous Post

Outrage at Jobcentre advert for webcam stripper

Next Post

Mum cycles around the world at 50 – with a wicker basket

Next Post

Mum cycles around the world at 50 - with a wicker basket

Comments 3

  1. Waxgirl says:
    10 years ago

    I was just contacted by someone trying to get me to contact Harry from the UN about the deaf lottery (I am hearing impaired). Please be aware that this is still going on every day!

    Reply
  2. Shafaq2009 says:
    10 years ago

    WELL SOMEBODY TRIED IT WITH ME TOO BUT THANK gOD I FOUND OUT THE TRUTH ABOUT THIS SCAM BY THIS ARTICLE. iTS HELPED A LOT BECAUSE iTS KIND OF SIMILAR WHAT HAPPENED TO ME 🙂

    Reply
  3. J Wil2263 says:
    10 years ago

    yeah! same me too most africa nigeria been stolen my money make me very angry because myself deaf single mother unemployment got my own three kids not fair lost money but they should pay us compensation claim government report to contact headquarter police

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Stay Connected test

  • 81 Followers
  • 43k Followers
  • 103k Subscribers
  • 22.9k Followers
  • 99 Subscribers
  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
Women love cheesy chat up lines, a study has revealed

Top 20 cheesy chat-up lines ladies really love

March 5, 2014
The top ten most well-known bingo phrases

The top ten most well-known bingo phrases

January 21, 2014
The horses thunder towards a jump at the Grand National

Amazing racehorse names which never made it

April 23, 2014
HGH Injections Brands: Which Ones Are Best?

HGH Injections Brands: Which Ones Are Best?

January 14, 2019
Chris Fear, 33, outside the Coral betting shop which is refusing to pay out on his 485/1 winning bet

Boycott Coral! Bookmaker faces protest after refusing to pay out on a football fan’s 485/1 bet

184
Women love cheesy chat up lines, a study has revealed

Top 20 cheesy chat-up lines ladies really love

147
Women feel invisible to the opposite sex at the age of 51, researchers found

Women begin feeling invisible to men ‘when they turn 51’

138
UKIP candidate claims Jews murdered each other in the Holocaust in masterplan to create State of Israel

UKIP candidate claims Jews murdered each other in the Holocaust in masterplan to create State of Israel

105
Top 5 RTG Games to Try in Online Casinos

Top 5 RTG Games to Try in Online Casinos

February 25, 2021
How to choose a lawyer in Latvia?

How to choose a lawyer in Latvia?

February 23, 2021
3 Simple Luxuries That Can Transform Your Daily Routine

3 Simple Luxuries That Can Transform Your Daily Routine

February 22, 2021
Chelsea Headed To Champions League Return In Good Form As Upcoming Opponents Atletico Get Timely Boost

Chelsea Headed To Champions League Return In Good Form As Upcoming Opponents Atletico Get Timely Boost

February 19, 2021

Recent News

Top 5 RTG Games to Try in Online Casinos

Top 5 RTG Games to Try in Online Casinos

February 25, 2021
How to choose a lawyer in Latvia?

How to choose a lawyer in Latvia?

February 23, 2021
3 Simple Luxuries That Can Transform Your Daily Routine

3 Simple Luxuries That Can Transform Your Daily Routine

February 22, 2021
Chelsea Headed To Champions League Return In Good Form As Upcoming Opponents Atletico Get Timely Boost

Chelsea Headed To Champions League Return In Good Form As Upcoming Opponents Atletico Get Timely Boost

February 19, 2021
SWNS

SWNS all rights reserved. Copyright 2020

Follow Us

Browse by Category

  • Auto
  • Blog
  • Business
  • Celebrity
  • Gaming
  • Life
  • Lifestyle
  • News
  • Pictures
  • Property
  • Review
  • Sport
  • SWNS
  • Tech
  • Travel
  • Uncategorized

Recent News

Top 5 RTG Games to Try in Online Casinos

Top 5 RTG Games to Try in Online Casinos

February 25, 2021
How to choose a lawyer in Latvia?

How to choose a lawyer in Latvia?

February 23, 2021
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact

Real Fix is a trading style of South West News Service Limited.
Copyright © 2020 South West News Service Limited.

No Result
View All Result
  • Business
  • Life
  • Celebrity
  • Sport
  • Blog
  • Auto
  • Tech

Real Fix is a trading style of South West News Service Limited.
Copyright © 2020 South West News Service Limited.