I received a letter via ordinary mail with a mailing label. It appeared to be one of many mass mailed items. There was no return address on the envelope.
Inside the envelope was a notification letter from Telco Incorporated and a check for $4, 450 written on The American National Bank of Texas. I learned that this is a legitimate internet bank (even though the check was not legitimate, even though the bank in which I deposited the funds was not able to determine that the check was fraudulent when it was passed under bank equipment).
The letter was signed by a "Wayne Tomlich", Promotions Manager. I was instructed to contact a "Jessica Anderson", at 604-716-6949 as soon as I receive the notification to begin the claims process on my winnings of $250, 000 in '"THE MEGA MILLIONS DRAW SWEEPSTAKES". I did so and gave the receipt serial number that the letter said was my receipt: 774-88713KN.
Undoubtedly, these names (companies and individuals involved in the scam) are just as bogus as a three dollar bill. I know that I did not enter any such lottery, so I asked the person who identified herself as Jessica about the Sweepstakes and she said that I entered it at one of several stores drug stores: CVS, Walgreens, Duane Reade, or several others & stores that any one of us would most likely have entered but I did not enter any sweepstakes!
"Madison Holding" of 116-4392 - 17th Avenue, Calgary, Alberta, Canada was listed as the "Tax Agent". I was informed that after I deposited the check of $4, 500 that accompanies the letter, I would need to send $3, 400 via Moneygram. Once you send a Moneygram, you cannot cancel the transaction! Your money is gone!
Such internet banks frequently have a lag time in identifying fraudulent checks, so waiting five or six business days for it to clear won't suffice because the depositor of the check will be held liable to the bank for a fraudulently deposited check. This is what the scam artists/con men rely upon. So if you learn from your bank that a check you deposited cleared and you send the $3, 400 via Moneygram to wherever they tell you to send the funds, you will lose $3, 400 plus the cost of the Moneygram plus the bounced fee charge once your bank is eventually informed that the check will not be honored by The American National Bank of Texas or whichever bank they may be using when they send you a check.
I tried to get action from the U.S. Postal Police, but they are probably swamped with these scams and just couldn't react quickly enough (hence my name "FraudBusterWannabe"). Too bad! Given these hard times, creeps like these people should be caught, tried, thoroughly humiliated, and punished! I hope that the U.S. Postal Service will develop a method to rapidly respond to such thieves.
Thank you for hosting this site and enabling others to learn rather than get burned. I also thank the Better Business Bureau for its attention to this matter. See BBB Reliability Report "Unsatisfactory" concerning Telco Incorporated at https://edmonton.bbb.org/WWWRoot/Report.aspx? site=155&bbb=0027&firm=151152
According to the U.S. Better Business Bureau website:
Telco Incorporated is not a BBB Accredited Business and has an unsatisfactory" rating with BBB.
"BBB has requested basic information from this company but has not received a response. As a result, BBB may not have current information about the company.
Consumers should be aware that the telephone area code 778 is an overlay area code for most of the Canadian province of British Columbia.
Also be aware that the Companies phone numbers all appear to be cell phones based out of Vancouver BC through Fido Solutions.
The stated addresses, given by the company, all appear to be fictional addresses that do not exist.
Products and Services
This company contacts consumers and states that they are the winners of The Mega Millions Draw'.
It is illegal for a Canadian citizen to win a foreign lottery. It is also illegal for non-Canadian citizen to win a Canadian lottery.
No lottery operating from within or to Canada can have any fees or taxes associated with it.
If any payment is required to claim a lottery or prize, then that is an illegal activity under the Criminal Code of Canada.
Anything to do with the advertising, selling, buying or participating in a foreign lottery is considered illegal according to section 206 of the criminal code of Canada."
The BBB website indicates that it first opened a file concerning Telco Incorporated in September 2008, so its just a few moths old, but has already used a number of different names for the people who are allegedly associated with the operation (i.e., Samuel Ramirez - Tax Agent, Jason Olivia - Promotions Manager, Charles Moore, Michael Davis, and Jason Olive).
Additional addresses used include: 864 549 Dumfries Street, Grande Prairie, Alberta T8V 0A1, Canada, and 364 743 Grant Street, Grande Prairie, Alberta T8V 0A1, Canada.
Additional Phone Numbers used include: (778) 320-2636 and (778) 320-3577.
Thanks again to the complaint and the Better Business Bureau for posting information about similar attempts to con people.
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As my grandpa used to say, if it looks or sounds too good to be true, in all likelihood it is too good to be true!
FraudBusterWannabe
New York, New York
U.S.A.
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