Lotteries and Gaming Saskatchewan (LGS), the commercial Crown corporation in charge of gaming policy in Saskatchewan, has issued a warning about a series of fraudulent Facebook advertisements. The corporation, which gave out $1.36 million in charitable gaming grants in the first quarter of the 2023-24 fiscal year, raised concerns about scam ads on Facebook that appear to be for Casinos Moose Jaw and Regina.
According to Brian Miller, LGS’s director of communications, the scammers behind these ads used sophisticated graphic designs to make them look legitimate. By mimicking the branding and imaging of the two casinos, the scammers were able to create convincing online advertisements. Miller emphasized that since these casinos do not have online gambling platforms, there is no reason for them to collect credit card or banking information from players.
Miller also stressed that the only legitimate online gaming platform for Saskatchewan residents is PlayNow.com. He advised the public to ignore any scam ads suggesting that they join these online casinos or download casino apps to play online.
While LGS has only reported the fake ads on Facebook, they have become aware of similar scam casino ad pop-ups at other Canadian casinos in recent months. Residents have been urged to be vigilant on other social media platforms such as Instagram and report any suspicious ads they come across.
In the event that someone encounters these fraudulent ads on their Facebook feed, they are advised to report them to Facebook or any other platform where they are noticed. The reporting process on Facebook is simple, requiring users to click on the three dots on top of the post and select the “Report Post” option.
Miller cautioned that while the fake ads are promptly reported and taken down, scammers have no trouble creating additional fake accounts with slightly different versions of the same ads. LGS has officially reported the scam to the police and is warning Saskatchewan residents to be cautious about providing credit card and banking information to unknown sources online.