Complaint Review: Guardian Trust Inc

I received a letter from Guardian Trust, Inc., which initially looked to be authentic.  Included, was a check for $1,990.00 from Anthro Corporation (10450 S.W. Manhasset Dr., Tualatin, Oregon 97062).  After typing this letter and noticing errors throughout, there never should have been a question in my mind that the letter and check were part of a SCAM!  IF IT SEEMS TO GOOD TO BE TRUE, DON'T CASH THE CHECK!!

***The below typed letter is reflective of exact verbiage in the letter:

Guardian Trust, Inc.

Grants; Settlement Management; Inspectorate & Payment Verification Centre

PO Box 3845 New York. NY 10163 (No comma between City & ST, but a period!)

Tel: 1-289-892-2475  Fax: 1-888-264-0808

Ref: US-CAN2009GRANT-##-#### (I left out the last six digits intentionally)

August 12, 2010
Claim#: ####

MY NAME

STREET ADDRESS

CITY, STATE

POSTAL CODE

                                 Please read carefully, processing fees check enclosed

               FINAL INTERNATIONAL HOME IMPROVEMENT GRANT NOTIFICATION

Dear Sir/Madam,                  

Congratulations!  Your Home Improvement Grant with serial# US-CAN2009GRANT-##-#### was approved in category "A" of the North American Grant paid to qualified and randomly selected applicants across the U.S.A. and Canada.

Your Home Improvement Grant of $22,000.00 was deposited into an escrow account pending a claim.

In addition to applicants who qualified by submitting applications, grants were also awarded to a short list of candidates randomly selected from retail tracking international, main Departmental Retail Store such as WAL MART, MACYS, SEARS, HOME DEPOT, COSTCO, IKEA, LOWES, BUYDIRECT, OFFICE DEPOT, BESTBUY, readers digest, Publishers Clearing House databases, and non profit organization by ballot from participating sponsors and Home Improvement Stores.  This is our final attempt to settle this aged claim.

Enclosed herein is a check for $1,990.00 which is to assist you in paying the necessary fees and taxes for this claim.  Paying these fees is a mandatory legal requirement and also serves as a verification method to establish the legitimacy of your claim.

In order to activate your account, call the number below and speak with the Claim Manager assigned to your file before deposit the enclosed check.  Ask for Benjamin Hoffman at 1-289-892-2475 between 8:30 am to 10:00 pm est. time, Monday - Saturday and you will be asked to quote your CLAIM NUMBER and your preferred option (A), (B), or (C).  Also ask our Claim Manager how you can qualify for additional grant to suit your home improvement needs.

$20,320.00 has been disbursed to you as a final cash settlement, this amount will remain in our custody until you ay the necessary fees and applicable Taxes.  Once we receive your payment, you will receive a second check being your final Award settlement within 3 to 5 business days by courier delivery.  Please have a state issued driver's license or any picture ID ready before this time to release your package to you.  Claim(s) must be filed before August 28, 2010.

Agent Assigned, VANESSA BASS

Unclaimed GRANTS will be cancelled by sponsors and the Grant will be donated to local charities in the State/Province of residence of the recipient.  C O N G R A T U L A T I O N S.

N0TE BY: YOUR LETTER MUST BE KEPT SAFE AT HOME AT ALL TIME AND WE WILL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR A DOUBLE CLAIM.

Sincerely,

Denna R. Lajina (really should have known after reading this!!!)

V.P. (Foreign Account Dept.)

Options:

Option (A) Accept check: Grant Amt = $22,000.00, Taxes/ Fees = ($1,680.00), Your take home = $20,320.00

Option (B) Don't accept check (Pay Taxes and admin fee by self): Grant Amt = $22,000.00, Your take home = $22,0000.00

Option (C) No thanks:  The Award will be turned over to charities in the State of residence of the recipient after the expiry date.

Read carefully:  This prize is a grant not a loan and does not require repayment.  All claimants must have been of a mature age at the time your application was entered or when your name was randomly selected. this claim is null and void for any statutory under age person(s).  Information contained in this letter(s) is protected by Privacy laws and prevailed to the bearer only.  no third party involvement will be tolerated.

(BACK SIDE of letter:)

IMPORTANT NOTICE:  This Grant is a prize you won; it is not a loan and does not require repayment and you do not need to own a home to be eligible for this grant.

This notification letter is very confidential and it must be kept at home at all times, lost or stolen must be reported to the issuing company within 24 hours.

   PLEASE NOTE:  YOU MUST CALL TO ACTIVATE YOUR CHECK BEFORE CASHING

DONORS:  (Logos from the noted retailers were displayed)
MoneyGram International, GAP, McDonald's, Wal*Mart, Sunoco, Starbucks, ExxonMobil, Wendy's, GE, BestBuy, HITACHI, Office Depot, ANTHRO (company on the check!), GM, Panasonic, MACYS, COSTCO, Microsoft, SONY, WINNERS ADM, TOSHIBA

Together with 250 donors, Keep on shopping in order to stand another chance in the near future.
---------------------end of letter

This ends the letter I received and hope this "snapshot" of my letter will keep someone from cashing a fraudulent, deceptive check.  The check can look real.

I called the phone number listed for Benjamin Hoffman.  He answered the phone as such, but I couldn't tell if he answered the phone as "Guardian Trust" before announcing his name (Jamaican accent?).  I hung up the phone after he answered, not wanting to give details to the man.  About 15 minutes later, he tried to call back.  When I tried to answer his call, he hung up (I was ticked that he was persistant!).

The envelope the letter was mailed in had a $1 Canada stamp; the stamp was not crossed-out by the post office to ensure the stamp not to be reused; no return address; the bottom of the envelope contained the delivery bar code for my address (??? stamp wasn't crossed out by post office, but has bar code on bottom of envelop?).