Received letter and check dated 5-12-08 in my husband's name from FSI informing that he had won $125, 000 in the "2nd Category of the Forune 500 Companies' Consumers Rewards Program". They emphasized this was not a sweepstakes he played, but a random draw of his name from over 500, 000 names as part of a promotional program. The total prize was USD$4Million, shared among 32 winners. The enclosed "first check" was for $4, 875 deducted from the winnings for the payment of applicable government taxes, which "cannot be deducted from the winning amount because of the insurance bond policy coverage". The tax amount of $2, 875 was to be paid directly to the tax agent.
The letter instructed not to attempt to use the check until we called the claim agent - and gave us 10 days to do so. The letter was signed by Jean Morrison (Promotion Manager), and the Claims/Disbursement Agent was Mrs. Jessica Thomas, Direct Line 1-905-598-3306. There was a notary-like seal impressed on the letter. The check was made out from Hunts Point Tropical, #134-136 Row A, Hunts Point Terminal, NY 10474 on a check that appeared to be from Chase Manhattan Bank.
All of this was suspect to me, so I first checked out Hunts Point Tropical - this is a DBA of Valdivia Produce at New York's Fulton Market. Most of the businesses at the market seem to be wholesale produce businesses, so I was pretty sure at this point I had confirmed a scam. Next I checked out FSI and was directed to this site where I absolutely confirmed the scam, both from a posting of 5-5-08 and three other postings where the scam used different names. Thanks so much for this resource.
Although I would never have cashed the check or sent money without absolute confirmation of legitimacy, which frankly would have taken a lot more than a letter and phone call, it was nice to be able to quickly identify the scam and resolve the issue. I hope that this information helps others to identify and avoid as well.
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