The man suspected of operating the fake Prima ticket scam.

Residents in several localities have been hit by what they believe is a scam carried out by an unidentified man travelling door-to-door selling “fake” Prima tickets for the lottery draw.

A Birkirkara resident who was among those targeted told the Times of Malta the man rang his doorbell claiming to be selling Prima tickets, which refer to the first of eight numbers in the weekly lotto draw.

The resident said the seller, who spoke Maltese, also asked about the house address and spent some time outside the house writing in a notebook.

This raised fears that he was scouting residences for potential break-ins. The resident advised anyone who encountered the seller not to open their doors but to contact the police.

He said he had filed a report about the incident at the Birkirkara police station and knew of another report filed in Żejtun.

The Times of Malta received several other complaints about the individual and people commenting on social media claimed he had also targeted residents in Żebbug, Attard, Lija and Balzan.

Due to the widespread nature of the incidents, however, the police could not immediately confirm what reports had been received and whether action was being taken. A Maltco spokesman told this newspaper that tickets for the company’s competitions could only be sold from official outlets and authorised sellers.

However, a number of organisations regularly use the lotto results as the basis for their own raffles and competitions, which are unaffiliated with any Maltco competitions. Although the company was aware of the reports of the potential scam, the spokesman said they could not comment directly as they had not been contacted about any incidents.

Concerns over burglaries are running high

Concerns over burglaries are running high following a perceived spike in break-ins in Sliema and St Julian’s over the summer.

Five individuals, who are believed to be part of an international criminal organisation, were arraigned two weeks ago in connection with the string of burglaries, carried out using sophisticated tools.