DU HELP: Is This Notification of Winnings and Check a Fraud????

[Corey_Baker08]

Today my dad recieved a letter in the mail from what appears to have the Suntrust Financial Inc logo. Along with the letter was an extremely real with waterproof marks and every single authentic thing you could image on a real check. The check was for $3,990.00 and has the markings of a fifth third bank in Toledo, Ohio. The check appears extremely authentic which is why that in this case I am checking in to it. At the bottom of the letter it also has the World Lottery Associaton's Logo I dont want to explain it wrongly so here is the text and format of the letter:


(Suntrust Logo)

Certificate#:1234567891011(not actual number)
Account#:123456789 (not actual number)

Dads name
address
city,state

This letter serves as an offical and final notice in regards to your winnings from the million dollar sweepstakes pending upon transfer to an account of your choice. After several attempts to contact your claims manager, all funds will be returned unclaimed. (Note our Address and Phone Number has changed fairly recently)

Your funds are now deposited with SUNTRUST FINACIAL INC, a security house insured in your name. Due to the mix up of some numbers and names, we ask that you keep this award strictly from public notice until your claim has been processed and your funds remitted to your account. This is part of our security protocol to avoid double claiming or unscrupulous acts by participants of this program.

Our agent will immediantly commence the process to facilitate the release of your funds as soon s you contact him. BEFORE TAKING ANY ACTION, please contact Larry (Smith) for assistance in remitting your funds to an account of your choice.
Direct Line:1-123-456-789
Remember you must contact your clamis agent no later than 13th of March, 2006. After this date all funds will be returned unclaimed.

NOTE: Enclosed is a cheque of $3,990.00 from your winnings to assist you in covering the legal and administration fees involved in your claiming process. Any breach of confidentiality on the part of the winners will result in disqualification.

Congratualations and thank you for being part of our program

Signed
Joe Smith

WLA Logo

[datadiva]

1. BBB

You could call the Better Business Bureau. They are usually up on this stuff.

[Armstead]

2. Sounds fishy...Or like fishing

Would you have to give them a lot of bank account info?

Maybe ask them if they can just give you a cashiers chek, and see how they react.

[Radio_Lady]

32. You must mean PHISHING!

Look it up:

It's big-time on the Internet now.

[htuttle]

3. Anytime someone tells you that you won a lottery you didn't enter...

...it's a scam, obviously.

I'd guess that if your father calls 'Larry Smith', that 'Larry Smith' will come up with some excuse to ask your father to send money, or his bank information.

Be aware.

[Corey_Baker08]

19. Yea I Know But

My dad delivers RV's coast to coast and was in las vegas and California 43 times last year and has a habit of entering any sweepstakes he can get himself into when he is there including in casinos so thats why we are so hesitant to just throw it away cause the check looks extremely legit.

[Radio_Lady]

29. Corey, be smart! Call a bank to see what they can figure out.

Better still, take the check in to a banker.

This smacks of a scam.

Don't do anything stupid and don't let you Dad do anything dumb, either.

Get advice from a knowledgeable person. Thanks, and good luck!

In peace,

Radio_Lady

[GoddessOfGuinness]

4. Hoax...too many spelling errors give it away

Did you cut and paste the e-mail? Notice that they call themselves "SUNTRUST FINACIAL INC"
"you must contact your clamis agent"
"Congratualations"

Congratualations on not being sukkerred.

:hi:

[Corey_Baker08]

21. No, thats my mistake its an actual Letter i just retyped it.

[dysfunctional press]

5. it sure sounds fishy-

tell your father to call them and say that he's setting up a new trust account for his kids using the sweepstakes winnings, and see how they react.

[GrumpyGreg]

6. A big scam ! Never trust anyone who asks for an account number.

[napi21]

7. SCAM!!!!! Betch if you ask your dad if he entered any sweepstakes

he'd say NO! They have so many different scam methods there's a new one every day!

First, you can't possibly win a contest you didn't enter!!!!

Second, they're trying to get your dad's bank info. IF they did enclose a check, it's no good, but when processed, they'll have the bank info!!!! Maybe not the account number, but the name of the bank and it's routing number.

Tell dad to light his fireplace logs with that paper tonight!

[dysfunctional press]

16. before he burns the check- it might be worth a phone call first...

i totally agree that it's most likely a scam- but dad could have filled something out, or did something that got his name automatically entered in some kind of sweepstakes.

i'd give them a call, but not account info.

[burrowowl]

23. When your dad entered the sweepstakes

did he give his name and address? If not, how in the hell do they know he bought a ticket?

[napi21]

24. Call the Bank instead of the scammer!

If you can't find a phone number, take the check to your local bank, and have the bank manager check it out for you.

I'm sure this is a scam and you don't even want them to have your dad's phone number.

[dysfunctional press]

39. if they have his name and address, they most likely have his phone number

there's not too many nefarious things that people can do financially just by knowing your phone number- that's why they print them all in big books that they distribute for free.

[Whoa_Nelly]

44. DO NOT CALL THEM! Your number will be used for more phishing!

Instead, contact SunTrust and tell them about the fraud sweepstakes. THey will want to know and will work to put a stop to it. You should also contact and alert your postmaster about this.

Is this the logo on the letter?
Found at this site:

http://tinyurl.com/khxpz




And here's their main page:
https://www.suntrust.com/portal/server.pt

[Corey_Baker08]

22. Plz see post 19

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

8. scam

[Sapphire Blue]

9. It's a scam...

Lottery Scam Alerts!

Monday February 06, 2006

Winning Notifications sent by standard post contain counterfeit checks and money orders. Saturday December 31, 2005

More and more scam victims are calling to tell us that they received a lottery winning notification by standard post (snail mail), and that the envelope contained either a counterfeit check or stolen/forged/counterfeit money orders.

As usual the lottery fraudsters include a phone number for the victim to contact them. It is during the initial phone call that some victims are instructed to deposit the drafts and then send a large portion by Western Union or MoneyGram to pay for fake fees, taxes, or other excuses. Some victims state that the wiring instructions are included in the winning notification letter, while others are asked to confirm receipt of the draft and notification by email.

http://www.fraudaid.com/ScamSpam/Lottery/lottery_scam_alerts.htm

More info @ http://www.fraudaid.com/ScamSpam/Lottery/index.htm

[Nickster]

10. Sounds like fraud to me. I'm betting the check is a real good forgery.

Why would they send you money, to help pay for processing, but then want to talk to you about transferring money to a bank account of your choice? If it is real, and you deposit it into an account, then hand over the account info, they could take it all back. Why hand out money to you, but then say they need to do security checks etc?

This just doesn't sound right at all.

[mwooldri]

11. Call the issuing bank, and verify funds on the check.

They'll tell you for free soon enough whether it is a good check or a forgery. Our church unfortunately had one of those scams.

My gut feeling is if this is what I think it unfortunately is, then once you contact Suntrust ask them where you can send the check to. They'll probably want it for some reason or another - or even more importantly the envelope in which the check came in (checking for postmarks, etc).

Mark.

[sam sarrha]

12. and they want your bank numbers..? take it to the bank and ask them, did

your enter a Lottery..??

[Elwood P Dowd]

13. I've won millions on the internet

Every couple of weeks I receive emails telling me about all this money I've won. All I need to do is clink on the link, give them my information, and they will process my claim.

:party: :party: :party: :party: :party: :party: :party: :party: :party:

[Radio_Lady]

30. You MUST be kidding, Harvey!

[RebelOne]

40. Heck, I have outdone you. I win millions weekly. n/t

[cynatnite]

14. "claiming process" got my alarm bells ringing...

sounds like they're looking for a sucker who is willing to go through this process. They'd want the 'winner' to pay a certain amount of money in order to get the 'big' money.

This shit always brings back memories of that asshole that harrassed an old woman for money until she cried. Anyone remember hearing that recording some years ago? It made national news and law enforcement wanted to lay some smackdown on the jerk.

[BrotherBuzz]

15. Note our Address and Phone Number has changed fairly recently?

Doesn't that raise a few red flags in your mind? BEFORE TAKING ANY ACTION, please contact Larry (Smith) for assistance? more flags?....DO NOT COMMUNICATE with them using the numbers provided becuase it is a SCAM. If you must follow through, locate numbers and addresses from other sources than what THEY provide. Savvy?

[Corey_Baker08]

25. That Was me Writing that in the parenthesis

I was informing you that we have changed our address and phone number as it says recent attempts to contact you have been unsuccessful

[BrotherBuzz]

28. OK, just DON'T use the phone number they provided!

In fact, don't use any telephones at all if you must chase this folly. These schemers know that using the telephone for communication circumvents mail fraud ...bank on it.

[magellan]

17. Smells like mail fraud to me

Contact the post office and the better business bureau.

[Zomby Woof]

18. That's the latest scam going

We got one of those from an outfit in Canada. Guess people up there have nothing else to do but stir up shit when they're cold and bored.

[Radio_Lady]

33. Cold and bored, or hot and bothered!

[Tiggeroshii]

20. Looks like a scam

Maybe you should consult a lawyer to see if you can get anything outta these fucktard scammers anyways.

[sam sarrha]

26. Suntrust Financial is a pretty big bank.. and the world Lottery assosc is

a real busisness.. i would take it to your bank and call em and see what happens.. if you have to pay the taxes before you get the check or something.. be careful. they diduct everything from lottery checks before you get it.

call the Suntrust after talking to your bank, bypass mr smith

Good luck

[Lolivia]

35. The bank is "Suntrust Bank, Inc."

not "Suntrust Financial Inc." Close enough to sound all official though, isn't it?

[donco6]

48. I was gonna say . . .

I deal with SunTrust all the time. How tricky!

[Lolivia]

27. "Keep this award strictly from public notice"

and "any breach of confidentiality on the part of the winners will result in disqualification."

So even if it were not a scam - you've just disqualified yourself.

But...why should you keep it private? If this were legit, why wouldn't they just send you a check for your winnings, and then YOU can put it into your account? Why would they need your personal, private, confidential bank info? They've already sent you the one check, why couldn't they send you the entire winnings?

Total scam.

[Radio_Lady]

31. Good catch, Lolivia. I've had the Nigerian fraud scam hit my mail

box, as well as my email box.

What a total scam!

[memory]

34. SCAM!! Give it to your Attorney General

If your father had actually won a sweepstakes, they would not just send him a check for a large amount of money. They would send an affidavit to him to have notarized that he was eligible and sent back before anything of more than $600 in value was awarded. The affidavit would be sent by traceable method such as FedEx and would be sent by a judging agency that would be easily verified.

A big tip off that it is bogus is that they want it kept "confidential".

Don't contact those people and don't try and deposit that "check"! I would contact your local police or state attorney general and give it to them. It's probably from another country, but maybe they can catch the bastards. People that try and scam elderly folks with this crap are pond scum.

Good for you for looking out for your Dad!

[newyawker99]

36. Hi memory!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Viva_La_Revolution]

38. also, legitimate lotterys never charge fees

the only thing you will be charged is taxes, by the government.

[SoCalDem]

37. Anyone who mentions "fees for claiming" a prize is a fraud

If there's a phone number, call them and ask for a contact person in their organization, so your lawyer can contact them ..and wait for the "click" when they hang up :)

[RebelOne]

41. That stinks big time like a scam. n/t

[Toots]

42. Do what they say, cash the check and hire a lawyer.

If the check doesn't cash you will know your answer. :shrug: congratulations if it's true. See if you can get some money from your dad and donate to MoveOn.org. They appear to be the only real agency fighting for people. Democrats make noises but no actions. MoveOn has shown how they act.

[Nye Bevan]

43. A very common scam

This is advance-fee fraud, a variant of what is commonly known as a "419" scam, after the relevant penal code in Nigeria (where a lot of these scams originate from).

If your dad responds to the "claims agent", he will be told to wire something like $500 via Western Union to pay taxes/processing fees etc. to allow his "winnings" to be released. Needless to say there are no "winnings".

I immediately recognized the phrase "due to the mix up of some numbers and names" which is ubiquitous in the lottery scam emails. It's interesting that your Dad received a snail-mail letter, as opposed to an email. What could be happening is that internet users have become more and more aware of these scams and the pickings for the conmen are becoming slimmer, and they are moving on to less technically aware, non-internet users, and targeting them via snail mail.

Much more info on these scams (including lottery scams) here:

http://www.scamorama.com/

[Liberal_and_proud]

45. Check out this story of a guy who deposited one of those checks

A very good read

http://www.goodthink.com/$$tablecontents.html

[RebelOne]

46. Bad link

[Liberal_and_proud]

47. Sorry about that. Try this link

http://www.goodthink.com/writing/view_stories.cfm?id=11&page_id=2