Prize Offers: You Don’t Have to Pay to Play!
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/telemarketing/tel17.shtm
http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/scam-alerts
http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0076-telemarketing-scams
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http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0119-jam ... ng-us-consumers
If you receive an email or letter in the post / regular mail saying you won a lottery and they send you a check? Or you sold something on Ebay and the buyer paid with a check? Or you took out a loan from a distant or online bank and they sent you a check? You can just take the check to your bank and cash it right?
WRONG! And what is worse, if you cash it, in most states in the US, you may be guilty of passing a counterfeit check, money laundering or worse. Clark Howard did a piece on his radio show about a man in California who was arrested for cashing a bogus check. In other words, by merely attempting to cash the check, you could go to federal prison!
My letter stated "We are p leased to bring this official notice which confirms that you are a 2nd prize winner in the second category of the USA Mega (under the international Sweepstake) draw held on February 4th, 2010. The serial number attached to your name matched the first five lucky winning numbers and subsequently won US $485,000." Goldrain financial Inc. has been assigned by the International sweepstake organization to inform all winners and pay the off their money.
Did you enter any sweepstakes? If not, the letter is definately fake.
If you have to call them to collect your winnings its probably one of those $50/minute numbers and they'll keep you on hold and transfer you and more hold and more transfers until you run up $$$ in phone bills. Then the'll tell you that you got 3rd place and won less than the phone bill. And they have scammed you out of the $$$ you spent on the phone call.
Or they'll ask you to pay income tax on your winnings and send the check to them. Your check to them clears, their check to you bounces or never arrives and they have scammed you out of the amount you sent them for taxes.
This is a warning to anyone who might receive a letter from "Gold Rain Financial" "Ameriprice Lottery Syndicates" or "Region Financial Services" of Las Vegas Nevada. This scam tells you that you have won a lottery amount and that before you receive your prize you are required to pay taxes on the winnings. The notification also includes a check (forged) to cover the taxes. If you deposit the check it will not be honored by your bank.
The telephone number originates from Canada, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police have posted a warning about this scam on their website:
It appears that most of the targeted victims are in the United States. If you have received a letter or check from these people please:
- do not call the number listed
- do not give them any information about yourself
- do not cash the check
- contact your local FBI office and file a complaint
If enough people raise a warning about this scam to law enforcement, hopefully these scam artists will be brought to justice.
I also received the same letter with that phone number to call..(1778-223-7661) But I got on internet and found this information.So I'm not doing anything or answering it. I might take the check they send me to my bank anad see wht they say. If it sounds to good to be true it probably is. So glad someone posted this info on line so I didn't make that call.I just looked up Goldrain Financial and found this. Hope more people don't get hooked in. I was getting a lot of calls from some Foreign aCCent person, some times male and sometimes female.Saying I had won money and just needed to pay taxes to bring it into US. I forwarded it to FBI In Houston Tx and they didn't seem all to excited about it.
I recieved the same leter and check dated May 21, 2010. Supposedly, the drawing was held on April 3rd, 2010. I called the number. The man answered the phone as you would your personal phone, not a business phone. This alarmed me. He told me to deposit the check and call him back. I was on my way to the bank to see if the check was legitimate. I decided to check the internet first. The company name on the check is Century 21, LLC, which is a fashion store in New York. So, I proceded to check Goldrain Financial, Inc. and found this information. I am so glad there are ways to get information on scams before you are scammed.