Lottery scam sends counterfeit checks

Wednesday, November 29, 2006 posted 03:34 AM EST

BAKERSFIELD - There’s a warning about a lottery scam. Local residents recently received letters with checks that turned out to be bogus.

Maria Contreras occasionally plays the lottery, but she wasn’t expecting to receive a check for more than $2,400 two weeks ago, along with a letter indicating the funds were winnings from the “North American Sweepstakes Lottery.”

“At first, I wasn’t sure really, so I asked my dad and he said the cashier’s check looked real,” Contreras said. “But then we didn’t know … and then I showed it to a friend at work, and she’s the one who told me to kind of investigate it because there was a lot of fraud.”

The letter instructs the recipient to call and speak with a claim agent for clarification and instructions, but Contreras didn’t receive clear answers.

“That’s when I spoke to someone on the phone and she told me to give her the number of the check and when I gave it to her, she said, ‘Yeah, there’s funds in there. You can go ahead and cash it,’’ she said. “Which I asked her, ‘Are you part of the bank?’ because the cashier’s check says,’Bank.’ And she said, ‘No. We do business with the bank.’”

Contreras called the number on the letter, but a recording said the company couldn’t accept messages. Police said you should beware of solicited mail, especially with realistic looking checks.

“A person will receive a check with instructions to go deposit it into a bank,” said Bakersfield Police Det. Greg Terry. “Then send or wire money for fees or taxes or something else.”

Police said authorities often learn the check is counterfeit or stolen, and the victim ends up footing the bill. Contreras wasn’t victimized, but is hoping the story will prevent such a situation.

“I would like other people to know,” she said. It’s “really awful to get stuck with a big bill like that.”

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