The Jamaican Minister of National Security, Peter Bunting, has dismissed claims that Lottery scams are on the up.
Speaking during a press conference at the Police Officers' Club last week, Bunting stated there have been over 600 arrests since the government sanctioned the lotto scam legislation in March 2013.
Jamaican lottery scams have been a problem for many years. In 2009 the Jamaican and United States governments set up a task force to bring the scammers to justice, but some prosecutors in the US have suggested the problem has continued to get worse.
Bunting disagrees.
"Since the passage of the Law Reform Fraudulent Transaction Special Provisions Act about 15 months ago," Bunting said, "over 600 persons have been arrested and charged under that piece of legislation."
Bunting also pointed out that over 20 cases have already been brought to court, all of which resulted in a conviction.
"My feedback from the US law enforcement is that the US considered the level of cooperation as unprecedented," Bunting stated.
Bunting then said the Lottery Scam Task Force is one of the most productive units in Jamaica, scammers are feeling the pressure, and be believes the situation has improved.
"This is not just limited to the security forces of any organization in Jamaica, but for a small unit within the Major Organized Crime Agency," Bunting continued. "The over 600 arrests with convictions to all that came through the system is an excellent record."
