It's hard to believe that I, too, was contacted by a "scammer". I received a letter from Standard Trust in Nova Scotia from Beatrice Berry (Vice President Finance) dated 30 March, 2009 referencing the "Customers Compensation Draw" winning organized in conjunction with the North American Sweepstakes for all customers of the major retail stores in US and Canada", etc. The winning lump sum is US$250, 000.00 paid once the government taxes have been paid. The tax is to be paid through MONEY GRAM located in any WalMart store. A check in the amount of $4920.00 accompanied the letter with instructions to contact assigned claim agent Lisa Austin at 647-835-6787 for further instruction or clarification. The check was from Wells Fargo Bank in Lewistown, MT (a legitimate bank), referencing General Mills in Minneapolis, MN (a legitimate company), with a legitimate account number.
Upon receipt of the letter and check, I did a lot of investigative research on the phone and Internet (which is how I came to know the legitimacy of the information referenced above) and, of course, discovered with continued research that this is a SCAM. Hopefully my efforts and complaint registration with the FTC will prevent anyone from falling victim to such scams. Ultimately, my hope is that ALL individuals involved with trying to scam others will be caught and prosecuted.
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