Money Order Scam

     With two recent incidents occurring within the last month involving several thousand dollars, the Mason County Sheriff’s Office is warning citizens to be on the watch for fraudulent postal money orders that are being sent by mail.

     In this scam, the targeted victim is contacted by mail, telephone, or email and is congratulated that they either were selected as the winner in a lottery or have been accepted as a partner in a rare business opportunity that promises great wealth in a short period of time.

     Once believing they have gained their intended victim’s confidence, the swindler will notify the targeted person that money orders are being sent to them in the mail. A package of counterfeit United States postal money orders will generally be shipped Federal Express to the victim.

     The scam artist instructs the victim to cash the money orders and wire most all of the money back to the sender’s address. The victim is told to keep the remainder of the money, usually an amount equal to 10% of the money order’s face value, for their work in getting the money orders cashed. If the scam is promoted to be a rare business opportunity, the victim is informed that the portion of the money received is payment for being a partner of the business. If the scam is said to involve lottery winnings, the swindler tells the victim that the wired money will be used to pay taxes before the winnings can be sent.

     “This scam is increasing in popularity and costing hundreds of thousands of dollars”, said Sheriff Wayne Youell. “The swindler is using the United States Post Office’s name and label to help them gain the confidence of their targeted victim in order to accomplish this crime.”

     If you feel you have been selected as victim for this or any other crime, notify your local police or the Mason County Sheriff’s Office as soon as possible. “The quicker the information gets to law enforcement, the more likely obstacles can be put into place to prevent further scam attempts and stop any efforts that are made to steal the victim’s identity”, said Youell.

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