Letter Informs Recipients they Won $500,000
Wallingford, CT - March 31, 2011 – Connecticut Better Business Bureau is warning consumers about a sweepstakes scam involving a letter and check telling recipients they have won $500,000. The letter bears a Reader’s Digest letterhead and Better Business Bureau seal, and contains a check for more than $4,000, supposedly issued by The Hartford. Neither the BBB nor the other companies are involved in the phony sweepstakes. The BBB logo is being used fraudulently.
When consumers call a telephone number on the document, they are urged to deposit the check which “is provided to aid you in the mandatory payment of your insurance and administrative fees on your $500,000 prize. The check is worthless.
The scammers may be trying to obtain information from the back of the processed checks, or get consumers to wire back money. There have been many similar cases in which criminals illegally use names of legitimate companies in an effort to lend legitimacy to the con.
This is what the scam sweepstakes letter and check look like.
The Hartford provides a link to a fraud alert about this operation, and Reader’s Digest encourages consumers who have fallen victim to file a report at www.fraud.org.
To verify the authenticity of a BBB seal on a website, click on the logo and it should take you to the company’s Business Review.
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Founded in 1928, Connecticut BBB is an unbiased non-profit organization that sets and upholds high standards for fair and honest business behavior. BBB offers objective advice and a wide range of education on topics affecting marketplace trust.
BBB also offers complaint and dispute resolution support for consumers and businesses. Today, 128 BBBs serve communities across the U.S. and Canada, evaluating and monitoring more than three million local and national businesses and charities. For more advice on finding companies and businesses, start your search with trust at www.bbb.org/.
