My friend showed me a letter with a check stating that he had just "won" $380,000! I dont trust anything or anyone so I asked to see the letter and check. My first look was at the envelope. The return address was in New York but the stamp was from Canada. The post mark over the stamp was also Canadian. That was my first red flag.
Next looking at the check I noticed that the ink from the letter had transfered onto the check whick lead me to believe that it was a fake check because of the cheap printing and paper used on it.
Then I read the letter. Typically a company would send you something like a prize notification with their logo in full color, this was cheaply printed in black ink and you could hardly read the logo. And the ink bled onto the check and the folded letter too.
The letter seemed honest enough explaining how I am one of 500,000 people who were randomly picked with these numbers blah blah blah... This check for $3,800 is to cover the taxes and financial costs to send the remaining amount of the prize money (why are there financial costs to send me the rest of my prize?)... Then I got to the last paragraph where it stated that after calling and verifing financial information they would then send the remaining amount of the prize either by certified check, money order, or wire transfer to the account information that I was to provide them with.
That did it for me. You never give anyone your financial info... And a prize should never ask for that kind of info! It broke my friends heart to think he didnt win and so I checked online and found a bunch of info on this scam. I am just glad that my friend told me about his "prize" before he called and gave them any money. From my understanding from other victoms you deposit the check then wire transfer a portion back to them to "cover the costs and prove that you really are the correct winner". After they recieve the money back from you, your bank then says it was a bad check and you have to pay bank fees as well as the amount you sent to the company!
Please dont fall victom to this scam too... Just always remember that if it seems too good to be true... Then it is.
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