ST ANN, Jamaica — The police in St Ann are urging landlords in the parish to conduct thorough background checks on people they are renting properties to, amid a surge in the deadly lottery scamming scheme that has spilled over into the northern parish.

The illicit activity has resulted in continued bloodshed in the western end of the island and has claimed the lives of hundreds.

Superintendent in charge of the St Ann Division Wayne Cameron told OBSERVER ONLINE recently that scammers, in an attempt to evade lawmen, oftentimes flee to the parish.

“I went to a meeting in Runaway Bay recently and I spoke with the residents and told them that landlords who rent their houses should do due diligence checks and even ask for recommendations as scammers are using houses in Runaway Bay and Discovery Bay as well as other places [to hide],” he said.

According to the senior cop, scammers “come across the border from other parishes using the areas as cool havens to carry out their activities”.

He added: “It has become a trend.”

Cameron said areas heavily populated by these individuals include: Brown’s Town, Alexandria and Cave Valley.

As a result, he said lawmen have ramped up efforts to rid the parish of these men by beefing up surveillance.

Kimone Francis