I recently received a letter notifying me that I'd won $4845 US dollars in a Canadian sweepstakes. There was a check in the envelope made out to me in that amount.
The name on the check was
"Neiman Marcus Group"
with an address of
1201 Elm Street
2800 Renaissance Tower
Dallas TX 75270
The bank listed was
BankBoston Maine N.A.
P.O.Box 3546
South Portland, ME 04106
They claimed to have made many unsuccessful attempts to contact me regarding this winning. The letter goes on to instruct me to deposit the check in my bank, contact a person whjose phone number is at the bottom of the letter, then mail a check to them to cover the taxes on my winnings, and keep what's left over.
If you get one of these letters, take it to the post office or throw it in the garbage. It's a scam, the check is counterfeit, and if you put it in your bank and spend any of it, or try to, you will be liable for the amount you spent. If you write them a check to "cover the taxes on your winnings" you'll be out that amount as well.
How do I know it's a scam? I don't enter sweepstakes. I most especially wouldn't be entering a Canadian sweepstake. The Illinois Attorney General is looking for just this kind of scam. So if you get a check for winnings from a contest or sweepstakes you didn't enter, be very careful. It's more likely a rip-off.
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