Owners of short-term rentals warned about lottery scammers

A call is being renewed to owners of short-term accommodations to better vet potential renters due to lottery scammers utilising these properties to carry out their criminal activities.

A statement from the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) indicated that at a meeting of the National Security Council today the Director General of the Major Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency (MOCA) highlighted that this is an emerging trend.

It was indicated that lottery scammers are using online platforms to book short-term rentals which are then used as safe havens from which they perpetrate advance fee fraud.

The public is being cautioned to exercise great care in vetting potential renters of their properties.

Lottery scamming and connected offences represent breaches of the Law Reform (Fraudulent Transaction) (Special Provisions) Act 2013, Cyber Crimes Act 2015 and Proceeds of Crime Act 2007 and are all punishable offences under the law.

OPM says MOCA has been increasing its efforts and capacity to better respond to cybercrime threats and continues to work with its local and international partners to disrupt, prosecute and remove the profit obtained through lottery scamming and other criminal activities.

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