My elderly parents received a letter from Reader's Digest notifying them that my mother was selected from a random list of finalists to win $500,000.00. They had enclosed a check, which looked completely legitimate for the amount of $3742.11. The phone number listed on the letter was 1-866-596-8378 and she was to contact a Richard baker; Agent for a company who was handling the winnings. The company name on the check was United Services Life Inusrance Company, Member of USLICO. My mother contacted this Richard baker (DO NOT DO THIS) She heard a lot of background noise and he put her on hold and then came back and apologized and told her to just deposit the check and then he would contact her in a few days. I brought the info home and did some further investigation. The check was drawn on Crestar Bank out of Charlottesville, VA. The letter came from Seattle, WA. The USLICO is supposedly from Bellevue, WA. The BBB has a whole page dedicated to this scam. My parents bank confirmed that they have seen a lot of htese so called "sweepstakes checks" & are aware that they are fraudulent. These criminals wait for you to depost the check and then ask that you wire them monies to cover the taxes and prize fees & they in return will Fedex you a cashier's check. This is a HUGE scam using m not only this USLICO but AIG as well. According to the BBB Reader's Digest WILL NOT just send a check if you have won any of their sweepstakes & you DO NOT have to pay to play in their contests! We need to spread the word. I am tyurning over all the documents to our local Attorney General's Office. This is the second time my parents have been notified like this with a fraudulent check, thankfully they let me know and I can do some investigating but I know others may not be a lucky to have someone do it for them.
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