I received a letter with two checks included announcing I was one of their sweepstakes winners. The checks looked very official and were both cashier's checks. Check #1 was in the amount of $2,680.22, Check #2 was in the amount of $22,180.22. The letter stated I was one of the Odrian Wheel of Fortune Sweepstakes Bonanza winners. It also stated the give-away funds were generated from the proceeds of charitable organizations world wide, and my name had been drawn from SuperPages.com database. The second page was from Secured Bond Bureau and titled "Surety Bond Purchase Requisition Form". Coming at a time when my family has been struggling financially, I was eager to comply and claim my winnings.
I called the number listed on the letter to contact "Susan Jones" at 1-902-412-0411. No one answered, so I decided to call the number on the Secured Bond Bureau notice at 1-902-412-2927. A man answered. I asked for Susan Jones and was told she was out of the office but he could help me. With further conversation he instructed me to go to the bank and cash the cashier's check in the amount of $2,680.22. Next I was supposed to bring the CASH home and call him back to receive further instruction. This is where I became suspicious.
He instructed me to call back in 30 minutes when I had the cash in hand. UPS would arrive within 24 hours and give me the documents to "unlock" the prize winning check of $22,180.00."Keep the check in a safe place, this is a lot of money you won. Be sure not to tell anyone!" The man told me his name was Kelly.
The checks were written from Michigan First Credit Union, Puritan Branch, 7700 Puritan Avenue, Detroit, MI 48238,1-888-843-0662. I decided to call this bank and ask a few questions. The voice that answered the phone was the SAME MAN I had just talked with a few minutes earlier at the Surety Bond number. I quickly hung up. Minutes later my phone rang and the caller ID showed a number from NOVA SCOTIA 902-412-2927, the same number as the Secured Bond Bureau.
With more research online I discovered many more people have received the same type of letters. And as I suspected it was a SCAM!!!
Beware of this scam. It looks official. If I had taken the check to my bank and cashed it I would have been in a heap of trouble. Thank you for this great site to help others be made aware of scams like this. What can be done to stop these people from trying to prey on innocent victims?
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