‘Thank goodness they send those reminders,' Markham man says after winning $1-million Gold Ball draw
Markham resident Peter Hedgecock had to be reminded that he won the $1-million Lotto 6/49 Gold Ball Draw in March.
'I hadn't seen the original email OLG sent about my win,' Hedgecock told the lottery commission when he visited its Toronto prize centre to claim his winnings.
'I only realized I'd won big when I received a second reminder email.'
However, even after reading that email, Hedgecock remained somewhat skeptical about his win.
'When I read it, I was in a state of shock — half of me didn't believe it. Thank goodness they send those reminders!' he said.
Hedgecock, who has been playing the lottery for nearly 20 years, also recounted how he shared the news with his wife, who was sleeping at the time.
'I went to bed and whispered to her, 'Honey, we won $1 million.' She was half asleep and told me to go away,' he said.
The father of three, who purchased his ticket online, shared that he plans to put his winnings toward his retirement.
'Winning is a humbling feeling,' he told OLG with a smile.
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He appealed, and a second letter — from Scotiabank's Escalated Customer Concerns Office (ECCO) — also found Judge responsible, stating that a one-time passcode was used for the university charge, calling it "a feature that has a proven track record in mitigating fraudulent and nefarious activities". The ECCO letter said that because the code was sent to Judge's phone, it "indicates" that the code was disclosed. Judge appealed that decision, but Scotiabank's Customer Complaints Appeals Office also claimed in a letter that evidence "suggests" Judge revealed a one-time passcode. "Evidence that may 'suggest' something isn't evidence of a fact," said Geoff White, executive director of the Public Interest Advocacy Centre. "One would like to see more in terms of actual evidence demonstrating that the customer was negligent — rather than simply an assertion." White also said the onus shouldn't be on individuals to prove they are innocent of a crime. "The onus is in fact on institutions to take care of their systems," said White. "Make sure that their processes are secure." Popa, the cybersecurity expert, took a look at Scotiabank's correspondence and says the financial institution didn't provide evidence of "the most basic investigation," which would include reviewing a log of activities that would be time-stamped — such as showing when an individual received the one-time passcode and when it was entered into a web interface. "This was never provided," said Popa. "Nor was there an indication that this kind of log was inspected." Contrary to Scotia's insistence that a one-time passcode is a proven fraud deterrent, Popa says a code sent via email or SMS is vulnerable to "a number of different types of compromises" and is less safe than using an authenticator app. Cellphones can be hacked using malware or spyware and SIM cards can be hijacked — allowing fraudsters to intercept text messages. The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre also told Go Public that it recommends people use an authenticator app when possible. "Unlike SMS/text messages or email messages, authenticator apps generate time-sensitive passcodes that are not vulnerable to SIM swapping or potential text message and email interception," wrote CAFC spokesperson Jeff Horncastle. The Quebec-based advocacy group Option consommateurs has been calling on the federal government to strengthen protections for banking customers in cases of fraud. In a proposal to MPs earlier this year, the organization said the Bank Act should require transparency when a bank investigates, and clarify that the burden of proving the customer was highly negligent rests on the bank. Judge gets his money back Go Public contacted Anglia Ruskin University to ask about the charge on Judge's credit card. A representative said Scotiabank never contacted the university — another disappointment to Popa. "Why would you not contact an organization that you know exists?" asked Popa. "They have a duty to investigate and to protect their customers." After Go Public made several inquiries with the university, it said it conducted an investigation and reimbursed Judge. A spokesperson said it could not elaborate on its findings, such as whether the money was used to pay for someone's tuition. Go Public also asked Scotiabank several times what evidence it had to hold its customer responsible for the fraudulent charges. Although the bank did not reply, it recently credited Judge's bank account — covering the outstanding $1,800 paid to "Paula S. Taylor" and the interest that had accrued on both charges. Judge says no one from Scotiabank contacted him to explain the about-face. "I do think it's ridiculous that it took the media to get involved until they decided they would even act as if they cared," said Judge. Previously, Scotiabank had offered Judge $200 as a "goodwill gesture," but said he would have to acknowledge his claim was resolved and drop any further action. Judge declined. Although he has been fully compensated, Judge had to push for almost eight months, and is still left without any answers about why Scotiabank insisted for so long that he was responsible for the fraud. "My biggest concern is that there are people in his situation … who may not have the ability to pressure their financial institution to be more transparent or to recognize the fact that they might not be guilty," said Popa, the cybersecurity expert. "People are out there who are simply being silently victimized."
