Woman accused of buying winning lotto ticket with stolen credit card

Lottery tickets in Toronto, Canada

A winning lotto ticket in Canada will likely not be paid out because it was bought with a stolen credit card.

The woman who allegedly bought the ticket was arrested by police while on her way to the lottery offices.

Police were following up on a report of a stolen wallet and discovered the victim's credit cards had been used to buy lottery tickets.

The suspect was identified with security footage from the Newfoundland store where the tickets were bought.

The 33-year-old suspect, who was taken into custody on Thursday by officers from the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary, was charged with two counts of possessing a stolen credit card and five counts of fraud.

Const James Cadigan told the BBC that the amount of the winnings was a "substantial sum".

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The Atlantic Lottery Corporation confirmed it was a C$50,000 ($38,000; £29,000) ticket but said that it only pays prizes for lawfully acquired tickets.

"Ultimately, if not paid, this amount will go to Atlantic Lottery's unclaimed prize account and will be used for future prizes," it said in a statement.

"We will continue to monitor the situation."