ING Direct - Canada - Forged Check - Sweepstakes/Lottery/419 Scam Attempted deception on elderly/senior citizen. Toronto Ontario
The following is a letter was sent to my grandmother, the envelopw had no return address, and was not bulk mail.
This letter is almost identical, save for the names and phone number, to another ripoff report: http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/0/381/RipOff0381017.htm
ING Direct (logo, blurry and stretched)
111 GORDON BAKER RD
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA
V9Y 5G8
Tel: 1-778-323-1900
NOVEMBER 5th, 2008
Claim number: MYW-015-9540-EN
Final Notice
We are pleased to advice you that you are one of the winners in the second category of Sweepstake and Lottery Draw held on September 24, 2008.
Your ticket with serial number 24-09-32-11-56
You are therefore entitled to the sum of US $450,000.00 (four hundred and fifty thousand dollars) payable to you by bank draft, money order or certified check.
Enclosed is a check of US $4,950.00 (four thousand nine and fifty dollars) which is deducted from your winnings.
The purposes of this check is to assist you to pay for the Non Resident Government Service Tax (GST). Taxes mus be paid in full, before winnings can be legally released. The payment information is stated below:
Tax agent:
HARRY W. KROSS
1193 RIVER VALLEY AVE
WINDSOR, ONTARIO, CANADA
Tax amount; $3,900.00 US dollars (three thousand nine hundred dollars)
Payment Method: Money Gram.
You are advised to contract your assigned claims agent,
LINDA JONES OR SEAN HAMILTON at TEL: 1-778-323-1900
Monday to Friday....for further instructions on how to claim your winnings. Please do not act on this notice until you speak to your agent.
John Garfield (Promotions Manager)
The check that was sent along with the letter was printed on check stock (that anyone can purchase from office supply stores). The company on the check was listed as:
Heritage Harbour Apts LLC
1279 W Forest Hill Blvd., Suite 5B
Wellington, FL 33414
which is a real company under:
Bainbridge Construction
12791 W Forest Hill Blvd. Ste 5B
West Palm Beach, FL, 33414
as you can see, they eliminated the '1' from the address, but there is no 4-digit address on that road, and Wellington is a subdivision of West Palm Beach.
I would love to have a list of the companies on the checks these crooks are mailing out, make a cross referenced database, and fight back!
My grandmother is deceased, but suffered from alzheimers. Just think what could have happened if she had gotten this mail instead of a relative?!?
I have Bainbridge Construction's telephone number and I am calling them after the holidays to inform them (if they are not already aware) that their check/name/reputation has been compromised. The originals are being sent to the US Postal Inspectors, since it was sent thru the US mail, it is MAIL FRAUD.
I scanned the letter and check and posted on:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v622/CRXPanda/419eater/scam1.jpg
and the check (minus my grandmother's name):
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v622/CRXPanda/419eater/scam2.jpg
Andi
Orange Pasrk, Florida
U.S.A.
6 Updates & Rebuttals
XYZ
United States of AmericaThere still at it
#7General Comment
Thu, March 18, 2010
There still at it trying to scam people, my girl just got the letter and right away I went on google cause it looks like a scam with no return address and promise of free money. She was attracted to the check but luckley we found your post. Thanks for your effort. so if this is two years later who knows how long they will keep at it...
ReactorCore
Victoria,British Columbia,
Canada
More and more....
#7Consumer Comment
Mon, July 20, 2009
There are virtually *tons* of these types of scams going out, which are, as correctly stated, a variation of the 419 Nigerian Fraud, and people still get suckered into them with the promise of easy "free" money and a somewhat realistic looking "check"
Funny thing is, that when asked later, these people don't even remember having even entered a lottery of any kind.
First stop should be any fraud or bunko division of your police, state attorney-general's office and the FBI IC3 division. In Canada, the R.C.M.P. has a dedicated Internet Fraud Investigations Unit you can contact online.
If you're feeling really vindictive, you can find some "scambusters"; reverse scammers online who like to make the scammers jump trough all sorts of stupid hoops and can sometimes wind up costing *them* money, just for cheap and easy lulz.
Just sayin'
Now, for those who have never dealt with this type of scam....
Sadly, what usually happens to people who reply and get involved with this, is that they're told to send a certain amount to "secure their winnings" and to send personal bank info so the remainder of the "winnings" can be deposited. In a straight up scam, your account will be quickly cleaned out. In an extended racket, you'll be contacted over and over with news of "delays" or "hitches" in the process which always take just a *bit* more money to "fix". This will go on until you're bled dry of funds or you stop playing the game with the scammer.... They don't care, they've already got X amount of dollars from you anyway, and there are plenty of other suckers out there as far as they're concerned.
You know, they say that the actual *official* export of Nigeria is now spam and 419 Scams. The Nigerian government is reportedly slow to act, if at all, because they get some nice kickbacks from the scammers....
Susan
Roselle,New Jersey,
U.S.A.
Thanks!
#7Consumer Comment
Mon, July 20, 2009
Thank you for posting this, although I realize it was back in '08. I received an identical letter today that I had a hunch was a scam when I read it, and your report was one of the things I found online to confirm it was in fact a scam. I have posted the letter I received on here as well. Thanks again!
Susan
Roselle,New Jersey,
U.S.A.
Thanks!
#7Consumer Comment
Mon, July 20, 2009
Thank you for posting this, although I realize it was back in '08. I received an identical letter today that I had a hunch was a scam when I read it, and your report was one of the things I found online to confirm it was in fact a scam. I have posted the letter I received on here as well. Thanks again!
Susan
Roselle,New Jersey,
U.S.A.
Thanks!
#7Consumer Comment
Mon, July 20, 2009
Thank you for posting this, although I realize it was back in '08. I received an identical letter today that I had a hunch was a scam when I read it, and your report was one of the things I found online to confirm it was in fact a scam. I have posted the letter I received on here as well. Thanks again!
Susan
Roselle,New Jersey,
U.S.A.
Thanks!
#7Consumer Comment
Mon, July 20, 2009
Thank you for posting this, although I realize it was back in '08. I received an identical letter today that I had a hunch was a scam when I read it, and your report was one of the things I found online to confirm it was in fact a scam. I have posted the letter I received on here as well. Thanks again!