Nagra Plunkett, Assignment Coordinator

WESTERN BUREAU:

A 28-year-old man has been jailed after the seizure of documents, including a copy of a US$10-million cheque that was being sent by courier services to a United States (US) destination to an unsuspecting victim of the illicit lottery scam.

The Gleaner understands that the man, who works at the Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, St James, is a former employee of an information communication technology (ICT) company at the Montego Freeport.

"We are withholding his identity. A subsequent search of his home following his arrest on Tuesday afternoon turned up some other documents used in the scams that are being examined by detectives," Superintendent Wilford Gayle, crime officer for the Area One Police, said during a press conference Wednesday.

The cheque was drawn on an account from a recognised US financial institution and documents were sent on the letterhead of Global Lottery Corporation Sweepstakes company.

Scam has spread

Area One Police includes the parishes of Trelawny, St James, Hanover and Westmoreland.

"Indications are that the scam, which has its base in St James, has spread to the other parishes in Area One, as far as Manchester, Kingston and St Ann," Supt Gayle added.

He described the lottery scam as a multibillion-dollar con that has been used to amass cars, houses and businesses. The officer also stated that the players include criminals, professionals and even schoolchildren.

Detective Sergeant Carl Brown, subofficer in charge of the Area One Fraud Squad, urged persons with information on the scam to speak with the police. He noted that the police's investigating capacity into cases has been boosted by assistance from their overseas counterparts.

nagra.plunkett@gleanerjm.com