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April 18, 2009

Duncan area bit by money scam

John Walker

DUNCAN — The Stephens County Sheriff’s Office was notified last week of another scam being sent in the mail aimed at the elderly.

Stephens County Sheriff Wayne McKinney said that his department has been in contact with federal authorities but was told that the problem is all over the place now.

“Postal inspectors are also working on it,” McKinney said. “There are so many scams out there. If you are suspicious at all, contact your local law enforcement agency.”

This latest scam is a letter and a cashier’s check in the mail addressed to the homeowner. The check is for $3,985.

The letter said that the homeowner is a winner of an international sweepstakes lottery that was held recently, even though the homeowner never signed up for a lottery.

According to the letter, the homeowner is entitled to $250,000 out of a total prize pool of $9 million that was shared among 36 other winners.

The letter asks that the homeowner call a long-distance number before depositing the check to get further instructions on claiming the winnings. Part of claiming the winnings will include using $2,900 of the check to pay for underwriter charges and non-resident taxes.

And, should the homeowner be suspicious of the whole deal, the letter requests that the homeowners not give any bank account information or other personal information to the person they call to claim their winnings.

According to the letter, should there be no response for a period of 21 days, the check will be canceled.

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