Complaint Review: Ironplanet Services - North American Direct Sweepstake Helene McBride Johnson Wisneski

Today, my wife received a letter without a return address on the envelope postmarked from Canada. Stamped across the Canada postmark was "Fraud Prevention", which was an immediate red flag. To humor ourselves, we opened the letter.

Inside was a "letter" from "Ironplanet Services Inc." stating that my wife was a "lucky winner" for "Publisher's Clearing House" (there is NOT an apostrophe in Publishers Clearing House, sign two of a scam!). Entry number MP-249-Y64, winning numbers 8-29-52-4-78. She supposedly had won $450,000. She was to contact Helene McBride at 1-866-376-0054, ext 336. Included was a check for $3,945.00 to cover "any legal, insurance and processing fees", scam sign number three! They claim to be contracted by North American Direct Sweepstakes (another scam job, Google it!). The check was draw on Citibank N.A. from Mitchell/Martin Inc., 80 Wall Street Suite 1215, New York, NY 10005, with is a legitimate Information Technology Staffing company.

Whoa! A check from a company in New York, with a letterhead from California, mailed from Canada? What's wrong with this picture?!?!?!

Earlier posts on this site have noted that the legitimate Ironplanet (which sells used construction equipment!) is based in California, as stated on the letterhead, although the scammers misspelled the name of the city as Preasanton, instead of Plesanton, as well as the name to the alleged Vice President of Global Operations as Jonhson Wisneski. There is even an "Approved" stamp with a signature at the bottom of the letter!

I plan on contacting both the legitimate Ironplanet and Mitchell/Martin Inc to inform them of this scam so they too can take appropriate measures against these scam artists!!!

Minotaur313
Rogers, Arkansas
U.S.A.