Complaint Review: Colonial Trust Payment Services - Ontario Canada

A company called Colonial Trust Payment Services sent me a letter dated May 9th 2005 saying it was the FINAL NOTIFICATION OF WINNINGS of unclaimed funds with a total payout of $48,903.65 out of $2,689,698.00 that was divided between 55 winners. The letter stated that folowing the second and final notification that was supposedly sent to me, they have secured for me through "FINANCIAL SPONSORS" the required amount I needed to pay for all the tax and service charges saving me the trouble of trying to raise them necessary amount required inorder to receive my winnings. I myself usually don't believe every thing I get in the mail about winnings and sweepstakes, but it just so happened that I had applied for a sweeptakes drawing with American Express for a grand prize in the millions and the drawing would have been held around the same time I was notified. So stupidly, I called the number located on the letter,and I spoke with a my "ACCOUNTS MANAGER" Aka

Rachel Rockland about the letter and I ask her about what company the sweepstakes was from and she said it was for Colonial Trust Sweepstakes of America, so I assumed that it could have been the offical name of the sweepstakes I entered because American Express is an Internationally known Credit/Charge Card Company. So I told her that I would be interested in the Financial Sponsors to send me the check for $4,890.36 for taxes to help me claim my winnings. So she informed me that it would take 10 days for me to recieve the check, and I was thinking in my mind that if this company was for real that I would recieve a check for the taxes in 10 days. Rachel told me to notify her when I received the check for further instructions of what to do next. Amazingly, I recieved a check of $4,890.36 exactly 10 days later, it was accompanied with a letter stating that I was to contact my accounts mananger immediately upon receipt of this check and that failure to do so on or before June 3rd 2005 will nullfiy the cashier's check and any future payments will be declared null and void. Also on the letter was a warning stating that if the check was cashed without proper notification and procedures that I might be held liable in the amount of the chenk and that any total winnings will be declare as "unclaimed". So I was so excited that I got the check that I told my sister about it and I described to her how the check looked so authentic because it was a cashier's check with an artificial watermark to prove it was real, I even made a photo copy of the check for my records. After I spoke with my sister, I called Colonial Trust for instructions on what to do next.

I spoke to Rachel, and this was Friday May 27th that afternoon. She first verified the check number on the check to see if it was correct, then she said that I would have to go cash the check at a check cashing place inorder to send the money to the individuals incharge of taking care of the taxes and service charges of the sweepstakes. She said that if I went to my bank that they would hold the check and it would be too late for me to claim my winnings because the deadline was June 3rd. So she gave me the names and address of the individuals I was supposed to send the money too, their names were Katty Smith and Janice Patton and the address was 462 Pine Hill Ave. Montreal, Canada. So I rushed over to the Money Gram Check cashing place to do what I was supposed to do to claim my winnings. I remember her telling me that the fees for the check cashing was included in the amount of the check and this kinda brought up a red flag in my mind. So I went up to the teller window handed the cashier my check and ID and he told me that he need to verify with the bank on the check I guess because it was a large amount of money. So I happily consented to that but I also had doubts in my mind about the authenticity of the check. He came back to the window and told me that the check was FRAUD AND THAT FIRST FEDERAL SAVINGS BANK OF MONESSEN, PA said that it was a check scam. So he was instructed to confiscated the check and I happen to have the letter they sent me and I gave him a copy to send to the bank, so of course I was furious because I was so foolish.

I got the number of the bank from the teller and I called them immediately after I left the check cashing place. I spoke to I guess the Fraud department and the lady informed me that I was not the only individual who received letters and a fake check, she said that the FBI was currently investigating this scam, So, I gave the bank any information they needed to contact me if FBI had any questions regarding what happen and what took place. The Fraud dept. informed me that another victim was faxing her information about the company and she said that I did the right thing be reporting the issue and that I was lucky that I did not really lose anything. Anyway, after I found out the company was a scam, I had received a call from Rachel questioning me to see if I had sent the money and that she was going to get the confirmation number from me so that she can contact the people incharge of the taxes, I told her that the check cashing place was closed so I was going to do it the next day, and I did this intentionally so if FBI was investing this case that they would be able to catch the bastards before they changed their number or address.

Then the next day, Colonial Trust tried to contact me again by calling me on my cell phone number that I stupidly gave them, but I did not answer, then someone they got my home phone number and left a message with my mom saying that I was to call them ASAP. So basically, it looks like they are so desperate that they have to harass me and track down my home phone number, I don't even know how they got my address. So I am in the process of filing a police report and contact the necessary people I need to about this company because they are getting way out of line and they are making me feel very uncomfortable by the fact that they tracked down my home phone number. I can proudly say that I did not give them any banking information, my SSN, or birthday. So they jerks better not try to do anything stupid like try to steal my identity, GOD Forbid!! because they will have something coming to them.

Elaine

Norfolk, Virginia
U.S.A.