My elderly mother received a bogus "Final Notice" letter dated January 25th, 2007 from A.B.C Financial Service that she had (somehow) won US $150, 000 in what the letter claimed was the "Special Holiday Sweepstake Draw" held on December 15th, 2007. Yes, that's right. She is the winner of a drawing to be held nearly eleven months AFTER the letter was supposedly sent.
I know that Canadians are a proudly independent people, but I doubt they have been able to devise a means of determining drawing winners eleven months in advance.
What appears to be a check for US $4, 900 payable to my mother was included in the mailing. Prior to cashing, she is instructed to first contact a "claims agent" at 604-723-9592 (the telephone number included in the A.B.C Financial Services letterhead). A quick check shows this number to be not in St. Johns, Newfoundland, but rather in Vancouver, British Columbia.
The fraud is that my mother would be instructed to FIRST wire via Money Gram or Western Union US $2, 900 to pay a Non-Resident Government Service Tax, THEN she would allowed to (try to) cash or deposit the enclosed US $4, 900 "check". Right. Like any government on the face of this planet would assess only a miniscule 1.933% tax on winnings of US $150, 000? I don't think so!
In addition to the error in the date of the alleged drawing and the telephone number discrepancy, the letter contains several other spelling and grammatical errors. For example, the word "Financial" in the letterhead is spelled "Finanacial".
Thankfully, my mother was suspicious enough to let me see this mailing and check it out before she did anything.
Do not fall for this fraudulent scheme!
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