I wanted to warn everyone about a new and dangerous fraud that I was sent. This has a new twist and has some very great potential for costing people in these trying times.
I received in the mail a letter with a Check for $4910.00. The letter notified me that I had won a Utility Lottery through a Computer balloting system. The amount that I won was $46,500.00. The letter further states that there was a percentage surcharge that was to be paid in the amount of the $4910.00 to the Lotto Regularity Board and they had sent me the check to cover the charges. The letter also asks me to keep the winning confidential. The thing that is so dangerous is that the Check that was send is a real Check drawn on the Regions Bank in Union City Georgia. My bank has verified that it is a real check with a correct routing number. We cannot at this point find out what the status of the account is because of the privacy laws, but Wells Fargo Bank’s Fraud department is looking into it. I am not sure how the fraud works because I have called the number on the letter and only received an answering machine that was so full that it didn’t take a message. Here are what they are telling me about the possible scenarios.
1. A person would be asked to deposit the check and then write a new check and send to the Global Sweepstakes company for the amount. They would get your check and they you would find out that the original check was not good because of an inactive or wrong account number. The Global Company would then have your $5000.00 that you would be legally responsible for.
2. When you call the Global Company they would ask you for SSN numbers and account bank account numbers to verify your winnings in which case they would have everything they need to clean out your account.
3. If you tried to cash the check you would have to give your account number at and when the check was found to be a fraud you would then be responsible for the entire amount.
Everything about this letter is suspicious. The amount is just under the Federal guidelines for verification. A company that has a phone number that is automated with no live persons answering. The fact that a person doesn’t have to enter any contest but would be drawn based on a computer selected Utility. The fact that you would be asked to pay up front before you could receive the winnings. The thing that is so dangerous is the Check. It is a real check with all of the security water marks and everything. It prays on the greed and the needs of a struggling economy but the old adage is still true “There aint no free lunch”.
I have ask the bank to let me know what they find out, but the local branch cannot guarantee that the fraud department will give that information. If I get anything further I will send it along but at least for now Buyer beware.
I will post any further communications I get on this issue. Remember if it seems to good to be true especially these days IT IS!
