I received a plain letter, with no return address and only a stamp on the front. This seemed odd, considering the content of the letter was that I won a drawing held in Las Vegas, on June 02, 2007, by International Publishers Sweepstakes for $82, 000 in US funds.
Wishful thinking led me to read on. Enclosed was a check for $2, 890, which "will cover the Administrative payment and clearance fees for your winnings." But, before cashing the check I had to contact my 'account representative' at 1-780-364-0057, which I found the area code to be in Alberta, Canada. (The postal code in the street address is also for Quesnal, British Columbia, Canada.)
Doing some research I found a helpful and informative website discrediting Trans Credit Financial. (https://dfi.wa.gov/consumers/alerts/transcredit.htm)
That I couldn't find any solid International Publishers Sweepstakes website or company information, that there was no company address on the front of my letter, that the check for $2, 890 was provided by a legit Steel company nearby (that has nothing to do with sweepstakes), that the warnings I found on the internet pointed at this being a blatant scam.. my wishful thinking of having the money to open new opportunities was destroyed.
I am glad I found this website and saw others speaking out against this scam. I also read of companies who make a huge profit off 'sweepstake winners' who were asked to call a number to find out how much money they won. Sometimes people would be charged $20-$40 for that phone call alone. With that in mind I did not call the number on my letter. Frankly, they can keep their money and I'll keep mine.
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