The facts from other postings regarding this thread are basically identical to mine. I also received a mailing on 6/13/2008 from Atlas Financial Trust containing a check, and a note telling me that I had won a sweepstakes (in this case, the North American Shoppers Sweepstakes held on March 5 this year).
But rather than contacting the questionable company, I checked the web first and found the Ripoff Report web site.
Ladies and gentlemen, as the old adage says, "If it's too good to be true, then it probably is." If you happen to receive similar notifications, ask yourself the following questions:
Have I recently entered a sweepstakes? (In my case, "No.")
Wouldn't a sizeable award such as this warrant a better notification, such as a letter actually addressed to the "winner," and NOT a chintzy form letter?
Isn't it suspicious that the awarding agency is asking for YOUR MONEY up front, as other postings have reported?