The Attorney General’s Consumer Alert of the Month:
Your Fake Check is in the Mail
By Bob McDonnell
In hindsight, the college student felt “extreme relief” that it was his mom, and not him, who was opening his mail.
Joe White received a check for $2,950. “I’m a kid who needs money,” the University of Richmond student said. “She said it smelled like junk mail, so she went ahead and opened it up.”
It was a real check, from a legitimate account. Plus, it came with an urgent letter telling him that he’d won $98,000 when a sweepstakes drew his name randomly, and the phone number for a “claims agent” to verify everything. All he had to do was cash the enclosed check and send it back to Canada, “to pay your taxes and clearance fees for your prize.”
Too bad the check was stolen and would’ve landed Joe in debt if his mom hadn’t been skeptical of this rampant scam victimizing Virginians. In his words, “She’s doing the thing a mom’s supposed to do: watch out for me. I couldn’t give her enough hugs.”
If Joe had cashed the check and mailed it to the scam artist, the check would’ve later bounced at the bank, he’d be $2,950 in debt, and the scam artist would be $2,950 richer.
No matter how legitimate your “award notification” might look, don’t believe it. Even if it’s real -- which they never are -- all foreign lotteries and sweepstakes break federal law.
(Our office also has recently investigated complaints from Virginians receiving fake and/or stolen checks from bogus insurance companies in a “prize pool raffle.”)
If you receive a bogus letter and check, do not respond back or cash the check. Notify our office immediately by e-mailing consumer@oag.state.va.us. And you can fax us your letter and check, at 804-786-0122, so we can look into it.
We take consumer protection seriously in our office. No Virginian deserves to be defrauded or conned. By working together, and staying informed, we’ll all be safer.