Alliance Financial Group A Div.Publishers Clearing House sent a check drawn on Southwest Boston Community Development Corporation for $3,885.40 to help pay for Government Service Tax on my supposed prize winnings of $155,000 of unclaimed American Family Pub New York, New York
I received a letter with a file number and a telephone number 1-778-223-5910, which you are supposed to call during certain hours in the Pacific Time Zone. Alliance claims to have been assigned by the international sweepstakes organization to inform the winners and pay the winnings. They claim they will make the payment by a certified check which will be delivered to me by their agent. The enclosed check which was drawn on Southwest Boston Community Development Corporation in Hyde Park, MA for the amount of #**3,885.40 was provided to help pay for the applicable Government Service Tax (GST). It advised me to contact my claims agent, George Harmon at the above telephone number to start my claims processing and to activate the check. It also says not to act on this notice until you contact the claims agent to avoid cases of misappropriation and mishandling of prize monies. Then the letter states the Tax Agent's name is David Edward, and the tax amount is $2,990.00 US Dollars. then they have a cut off form I am supposed to sign and detach to give to their representative after I receive a check of $151,114.60 and verify that I am the person mentioned on the check and my name, address and personal information is correct.
Why would Publishers Clearing House write a bank check on any company other than their own? Alliance Financial Group's address is in NY, the check from a company in Boston, MA, and the phone number in the Pacific Time Zone. If this isn't a rip off, I don't know what is.
Should I call the police and give all of this to them?