Other LanguagesCall it déjà vu.
Back in December 2005, we issued a consumer alert about a lottery scam in which individuals are sent checks from “Nova Trust Financial.”
Yesterday, I received a call from a Tennessee woman who received a check from Nova. She found our consumer alert during an Internet search and, despite a gut feeling that something was wrong, was still hopeful she’d won the big bucks. Same thing happened today, but this call came from Long Island.
At the risk of sounding condescending, I’m going to say it again: If you didn’t buy a lottery ticket, you didn’t win the lottery. If you receive a check and are asked to wire money somewhere, you didn’t win the lottery. If you call me, I'll tell you just that. I'll be polite, but firm. It's a scam.
Fake check scams are rampant. The cons on the other end of these schemes will tell you whatever you want to hear. They will pretend to be government officials, lawyers, claims agents, bankers, law enforcement officers, gaming officials, tax collectors, etc.
If you think you’ve been targeted by a counterfeit check scam, report it to the following agencies:
- The Federal Trade Commission: www.ftc.gov or 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357).
- The U.S. Postal Inspection Service: https://postalinspectors.uspis.gov
It's also fine to just shred or tear up the check and the letter and call it a day.