Sweepstakes Scam

     With two incidents recently reported in Mason County, Mason County Sheriff Wayne Youell is alerting citizens of new scams that are occurring in our area.

     The first scam starts when a targeted person is congratulated either by mail or telephone that they are the winner of a sweepstakes prize generally comprising of millions of dollars. The target is notified that in order to receive their winnings, a payment is necessary to satisfy the taxes and/or shipping charges. The payment requested is usually around $2000 to $5000 and the swindler asks that the money be wired to a predetermined location as soon as possible to take care of the costs and expedite the delivery of the sweepstake winnings.

     “Scams like this normally stop at this point and the swindler would wait to see if the intended victim sends the money. Today, there is a new twist,” said Sheriff Youell. Now the scam artist informs the targeted victim that they will be mailing them a cashier’s check to cover the tax payment/shipping expenses and instructs the person to cash it and immediately wire the money to a predetermined location. Although the check that is sent appears to be real, it actually is counterfeit. “With the latest software programs on the market and photo quality printers being used, crooks are taking advantage of this technology to produce authentic looking checks that are being used for fraud,” said Sheriff Youell. “The checks are often cashed at the local banking institutions and as directed, victims are unknowingly wiring the money to the con artist with hopes of receiving their sweepstakes money in return. Several days later, it is learned that the check is phony.”

     In a similar scam, the swindler will respond to a classified advertisement to buy merchandise that is offered for sale. The scam artist will agree to purchase the merchandise from a chosen victim and send a bogus cashier’s check that significantly exceeds the price for the merchandise. The targeted person is instructed to cash the check, keep the portion of the money that would satisfy the cost for the merchandise and wire the remaining amount to a predetermined address.

     Sometimes the swindler will wait until they know that the merchandise has already been sold before they get involved. There have been instances that the scam artist mails an authentic looking counterfeit check to the targeted person after they have learned that the merchandise has been sold. Either by telephone or email, the crook informs the intended victim that a payment was already mailed and asks the victim to go ahead and cash the check. The offender tells the victim to keep a nominal portion of the proceeds of the check for their trouble and wire the remaining amount to a predetermined address as soon as possible. Days after the check is cashed, it is determined to be fake.

     “In Mason County, we have already seen counterfeit checks for $3000 and $11,000,” said Sheriff Youell. “By the check’s face, it is almost impossible to tell that they are fraudulent. Keep your guard up and always remember, the saying that if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.” Anyone who believes that they are being targeted in a scam is encouraged to telephone your local police or the Mason County Sheriff’s Office.

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